Skopje drafts law allowing export of medical marijuana

AFP/Robyn Beck/ilustracija

North Macedonia’s Government said on Monday it had drafted the Bill on the Control of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, which should enable the export of dried cannabis flowers.

The law enables the export of dried flowers obtained by growing cannabis for medical purposes. It allows cannabis growers to place the already produced quantities of dry herbal products on the European markets and beyond.

The Government said the export would be carried out in compliance with international conventions and European legislation.

One of the novelties is the Agency for the Control of Cultivation and Extraction of Cannabis and the Production of Cannabis and Cannabis Preparations for Medical and Scientific Purposes.

Besides being harmonised with the EU law and international acts, the Draft Law also contains its national solutions that regulate its appropriate practical application, providing better control of narcotics and psychotropic drugs.

The Government added that companies with a license for growing cannabis for medical purposes should pay ten percent of the net profit to a special account in the state budget.

The money will be used for public interest projects, such as the fund for rare diseases, the media fund, and priority programmes in sports, culture, and the civic sector.

North Macedonia legalised the production and sale of cannabis products for medical purposes in 2016.