Greece grants country's first medical cannabis licenses

Eight months after green-lighting the cultivation and production of medical cannabis, Greece's leftist-led government has issued the first licenses to two private firms for growing hemp in the country.

The announcement was made yesterday during a joint press conference in Athens by Health Minister Andreas Xanthos, Deputy Economy Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas and Deputy Agricultural Development Minister Vassilis Kokkalis.

It involves a 9.5-million-euro investment in Larissa, central Greece, and a 12.5-million-euro investment in Corinth, in the Peloponnese.

Officials said up to 12 more licenses could be granted by the end of the year, creating about 770 news jobs and representing a total investment of 185-200 million euros.

Most of the investment is expected to come from Canada and Israel.

Meanwhile, authorities are taking steps to include...