The committee also voted in favor of the proposal of MP Erion Braçe to limit the area of cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes, as well as for medical purposes.

“In the case of cannabis cultivation for medical purposes, the area has been limited to 200 ha. In the case of cultivation for industrial purposes, no limits have been set. I propose limiting the maximum allowable area for the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes to 200 ha,” Braçe said.
Deputy Minister for Health and Social Protection, Entela Ramosaçaj, explained that the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes has different characteristics from the industrial one.

“For medical purposes, we decided that a production unit should not be smaller than 5 ha and not bigger than 10 ha. A producer cannot be equipped with more than 4 licenses, i.e. a maximum allowable area of 200 ha,” she said.

Ramosaçaj added that the cultivation of cannabis increases economic activity in Albania, allowing, through special rules, licensed economic activity for the cultivation of medical and industrial cannabis plants, which will be used for export.

Based on the estimates, the deputy minister added, it turns out that for 10 ha cultivated, employment increases by 350 people and the investment is around 17-18 million euros.

“These estimates are based on the data collected from countries that have allowed its cultivation,” Ramosaçaj said.
/sm/