By Michalis Theodoropoulos
Over the past decade, Greece has often presented itself as a country embracing a modern cannabis policy. Industrial hemp cultivation was legalized in 2016, medical cannabis legislation followed in 2018, and significant investments were attracted in cultivation, processing and pharmaceutical cannabis production. On paper, Greece appeared ready to become a regional leader in the European cannabis sector.
However, the latest legislative developments reveal a different reality: a market that remains heavily restricted, overregulated, characterized by legal uncertainty and, in many respects, still influenced by prohibition-era thinking rather than evidence-based regulation.
The recent amendments introduced under Law 5302/2026 represent a significant setback for the hemp and CBD sector. While the stated objective is to combat the proliferation of synthetic psychoactive cannabinoids that have flooded parts of the retail market in recent years, the measures adopted go far beyond targeting illegal products.
Instead of focusing enforcement efforts on synthetic cannabinoids and products deliberately marketed for intoxication, the legislation imposes a blanket ban on the retail sale, possession and use of hemp flowers containing less than 0.3% THC. These products are non-intoxicating agricultural commodities legally cultivated throughout the European Union and traded in numerous Member States.
Off the market
As a result, natural CBD hemp flowers have effectively been removed from the Greek retail market, despite the fact that they were never the primary source of the public health concerns cited by policymakers.
This approach raises important questions regarding proportionality, legal certainty and compatibility with the principles of the European Single Market. Rather than distinguishing between compliant natural hemp products and illicit synthetic substances, lawmakers have largely chosen the simpler path of prohibition.
The same restrictive philosophy extends to the broader CBD market, not only in Greece but increasingly across Europe, as the sector faces growing uncertainty regarding Novel Food authorizations, toxicity assessments and evolving regulatory interpretations.
The new legal framework in Greece moves toward limiting the distribution of CBD products to licensed cannabis stores and pharmacies, while creating uncertainty for existing sales channels such as health food stores, organic retailers and wellness outlets that have operated legally for years.
Greater uncertainty
Although hemp foods appear to remain outside the scope of the new restrictions, the overall direction of policy is clear: tighter control, fewer distribution channels and increased regulatory uncertainty.
For entrepreneurs, investors and international partners, uncertainty is often more damaging than regulation itself. Businesses can adapt to clear rules. What they struggle with is ambiguity, inconsistent interpretation, undefined enforcement mechanisms and a constantly shifting regulatory environment.
At the same time, Greece continues to maintain one of the most restrictive medical cannabis frameworks in Europe. The current regulatory environment risks creating a highly concentrated market structure and favors a very limited number of operators capable of navigating the pharmaceutical pathway. While the government actively promotes investment in pharmaceutical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing, patient access remains highly limited and restricted to specific therapeutic indications. Only a small number of products are expected to reach the market, prescribing remains tightly controlled, and reimbursement mechanisms are absent.
Split personality
This creates a paradox. On one hand, the state encourages investment in pharmaceutical cannabis production, while increasingly focused on channeling all of the cannabinoid demand exclusively through a tightly controlled medical framework, and seeks to position Greece as a hub for cannabinoid-related investment. On the other hand, it restricts access to hemp products, narrows CBD distribution channels and maintains significant barriers to patient access.
The result is a system where production is encouraged, but market development remains constrained. In practice, Greece appears willing to support cannabis production, but remains reluctant to normalize cannabis access.
Critics increasingly argue that Greece is replacing one form of prohibition with another. Instead of creating a balanced and modern regulatory framework that clearly distinguishes between industrial hemp, wellness CBD products, medical cannabinoids, intoxicating substances and potential future adult-use markets, policymakers continue to treat cannabis primarily as a risk to be controlled rather than an economic, agricultural and healthcare opportunity to be developed.
Impacting consumers
The consequences extend beyond business. Thousands of consumers who previously used legal CBD products for wellness purposes face reduced access. Patients interested in cannabinoid-based therapies encounter limited product availability and significant access barriers. Domestic producers lose market opportunities and face increasing competitive disadvantages, while new market entrants encounter significant barriers to entry. International investors face uncertainty regarding the long-term direction of policy. Most importantly, Greece risks losing its competitive advantage at a time when the global cannabinoid sector is evolving rapidly.
While countries such as Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg continue to explore more balanced and pragmatic regulatory models for hemp, medical and adult-use cannabis, Greece risks moving in the opposite direction. Excessive restrictions, legal uncertainty and limited market access may discourage innovation, reduce investment and ultimately weaken the country’s position within the emerging European cannabinoid economy.
A modern cannabis policy should be based on three fundamental principles: public health protection, consumer safety and economic development. These goals are not mutually exclusive. Synthetic cannabinoids should be aggressively removed from the market. Minors should be protected. Product quality should be strictly monitored. Clear labeling, laboratory testing and traceability requirements should be mandatory. However, none of these objectives require the blanket prohibition of natural hemp flowers or excessive restrictions on compliant CBD products.
Find a middle ground
The future of cannabis regulation in Greece should not be a choice between prohibition and pharmaceutical control. A modern framework can simultaneously protect public health, encourage innovation, support domestic agriculture, create high-value jobs and ensure safe access for consumers and patients.
The challenge is not whether cannabis should be regulated. The challenge is whether regulation will be designed to unlock the sector’s full economic and healthcare potential, or whether it will continue to be shaped primarily by fear, restriction and regulatory caution.
Greece has already demonstrated that it can attract investment and build a cannabis industry. The next step is to create a regulatory environment that allows this industry to flourish. Otherwise, the country may find itself investing in the future while regulating as though it were still afraid of the past.
Michalis Theodoropoulos is the founder and CEO of KANNABIO Social Cooperative.