July 4, 2022 The Albanian government has put a draft law on legalising medical cannabis up for public consultation, sparking an angry reaction from opposition politicians.
The news was announced shortly after the latest World Drug Report 2022 from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that Albania is one of the top countries worldwide for cannabis cultivation and distribution.
This is despite well publicised efforts by the Albanian government to eradicate its cultivation, notably with the large-scale operation at Lazarat – dubbed Europe’s ‘marijuana mountain’ back in 2014, shortly before Albania secured EU candidate status. However, reports since then indicate that drug cultivation has been rising. The country also lies on the Balkan route for transportation of heroin to Europe.
