Following the recent approval of the law titled "On the Control of Cannabis Cultivation and Processing for Medical and Industrial Purposes," the Albanian government is working on finalizing the necessary legal acts to implement this significant change. These regulations are expected to set the framework for the cultivation, processing, and distribution of cannabis for medical and industrial use within the country, aligning Albania with over 35 countries globally that have legalized medical cannabis.
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| A doctor holding cannabis oil in his right hand and a cannabis leaf in his left |
A key element of the implementation is a joint directive issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of the Interior. This directive outlines the criteria for the integrity and professional qualifications required for shareholders, administrators, and employees of cannabis-related businesses applying for licenses. It also applies to individuals employed by the newly established National Cannabis Control Agency.
Integrity and Professional Criteria
The directive, titled “On the Determination of Procedures, Deadlines, Criteria, and Documentation Required for Verifying the Integrity of Employees of the National Cannabis Control Agency, Licensed or Permitted Entities, and Ethical-Professional Criteria,” lays out a strict process for verifying the integrity of individuals involved in the cannabis industry.
To ensure high ethical standards, the National Cannabis Control Agency will collaborate with various institutions, including the State Police, the Financial Intelligence Agency, the Courts, and the Institute of Forensic Medicine. These institutions will verify the background of employees, ensuring they have no criminal record in the past five years and are not users of illegal drugs, including cannabis. All potential employees will undergo drug testing, carried out by the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
In addition to these requirements, the family background of applicants will be scrutinized. Individuals with immediate family members convicted of a crime in the last five years or involved in drug use will be disqualified from employment. The application process for these positions will be open for four weeks on the agency’s official website, with 45 job announcements already posted.
Licensing Criteria for Cannabis Companies
The same integrity and drug-free requirements extend to shareholders and administrators of companies applying for licenses to cultivate and process cannabis. These companies must ensure that their owners and managers meet strict ethical standards, including not having a history of drug use or involvement in criminal activities. Foreign owners and administrators residing outside of Albania, who are unable to undergo drug testing in Albania, must provide equivalent documentation from recognized institutions in their country of residence.
Additionally, applicants are required to submit criminal background checks and decriminalization forms as part of the vetting process. Moreover, all employees, owners, and administrators must not have other commitments that could present a conflict of interest and must declare any other business activities or holdings.
Professional Criteria for Employees
Beyond integrity checks, employees of cannabis companies must also meet professional standards. According to Article 12 of the directive, companies must employ at least two specialists—one qualified in pharmacy and the other in agro-engineering, each with a minimum of three years of professional experience. One of these employees must be hired as the technical director of the company.
Other roles include a traceability officer, who must have a background in sciences such as electronics, IT, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, or agriculture, and a security officer, who must have at least three years of relevant experience. The financial officer must hold a master’s degree in a related field.
Role of the National Cannabis Control Agency
The National Cannabis Control Agency has been established to oversee the implementation of this law. As a public legal entity under the Ministry of Health, its mission is to supervise, regulate, and inspect the cultivation and processing of cannabis, as well as the production of its by-products for medical and industrial purposes. The agency is also responsible for monitoring compliance with the law, ensuring the cannabis industry operates within a legal and ethical framework.
International Context
Albania’s move towards legalizing cannabis for medical and industrial purposes follows the trend of over 35 countries, including North Macedonia, Greece, Israel, Denmark, Canada, and the Netherlands, which have already established legal frameworks for medical cannabis. In Europe alone, 22 countries have specific legislation for the medical and industrial use and export of cannabis.
By adopting this new legal framework, Albania aims to tap into the growing global market for medical cannabis, while ensuring that its production and distribution are tightly regulated to prevent misuse and illegal activities. The strict integrity and professional standards set for individuals and companies involved in the industry are intended to safeguard the integrity of the system and ensure that it operates transparently and ethically.