From the legal point of view...

In 2013 industrial hemp was legally exempted from drugs and in 2016 the legal cultivation of hemp varieties was regulated for the first time in Greece. Hemp products are legal only if they contain THC <0.2% according to Article 1 (3) of Law 4139/2013. Under the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended in 1972, industrial hemp varieties are expressly excluded from controlled substances and from other hemp varieties intended for medical use.

The substance of Cannabidiol (CBD) does not have a psychotropic and addictive effect according to the World Health Organization, and therefore, it is not included in the controlled substances of the United Nations International Conventions on Drugs. At the European level, industrial hemp has been subsidized as an agricultural product since the 1990s and its cultivation is regulated by European Law and the EU Common Agricultural Policy. The European Court of Justice ruled in 2020 that the trafficking of extracts with THC <0.2% is legal as these extracts are not controlled substances according to international conventions.

According to the Greek law

The National legislation governing the production and distribution of industrial hemp products is:

  • Joint Ministerial Decision no. 1033/364487 (Government Gazette B 6021/31.12.2020): “Determination of the necessary additional measures […] regarding the granting of basic aid for the cultivation of cannabis, as well as the terms and conditions of cultivation of cannabis varieties of the species Cannabis sativa L under Article 1 (3) of Law 4139/2013.”
  • Joint Ministerial Decision no. 982/88573 (Government Gazette B 1444/24.04.2019): “Determination of the necessary additional measures [...] regarding the terms and conditions of cultivation of cannabis varieties of Cannabis sativa L with tetrahydrocannabinol content up to 0.2 %, for granting the basic aid.”
  • Joint Ministerial Decision no. . 981/88525 (Government Gazette B 1445/24.04.2019): “Terms and conditions for the cultivation of cannabis varieties outside the Community list of the species Cannabis sativa L.”
  • Joint Ministerial Decision no. 1750/39224 (Government Gazette B 929/06.04.2016): “Determination of the necessary additional measures […] regarding the terms and conditions of cultivation of cannabis varieties of Cannabis sativa L with tetrahydrocannabinol content up to 0.2%, for granting the basic aid.”
  • Joint Ministerial Decision no. 1433/84905 (Government Gazette B 2392/21.06.2018): Amendment of Joint Ministerial Decision no. 1750/39224/31-3-2016. 1750/39224/31-3-2016.
  • Government Gazette B 2970/30.08.2017: Amendment of Joint Ministerial Decision no. 1750/39224/31-3-2016. 1750/39224/31-3-2016.
  • Law 4139/2013 - Government Gazette A-74/20-3-2013: on addictive substances and other provisions, as amended by Article 7 of Law 4691/2020 - Government Gazette 108/Α/9-6-2020.