Are Things Changings for Marijuana in Albania? From Persecution to Being Sold in the United States

In February this year, Koço Kokedhima, a member of parliament for the Albanian Socialist Party stated that Albanians could earn billions if growers were able to sell their “high quality marijuana”. He made the statement at the beginning of a campaign to request for the plant to be grown legally in the country. 

Albania is considered to be an important cannabis provider for Western Europe, yet despite that, the country’s police force carried out scores of raids last year in order to destroy plantations and arrest numerous growers. 

The fact of the matter is that the country has strict laws against the possession and distribution of drugs. In certain cases, smokers have even been sentenced to up to five years in prison after being found carrying a few grams of weed in their pockets. The situation also forces growers to work in remote areas where governmental control is weak.

Despite the restrictions, since 2013, Albania has reached an agreement with the United States, enabling it to export cannabis products. Cary Lee Peterson, a member of the Congressional Committee on Eurasian Affairs, explained that the association has been up and running for two years, but that it only began to work seriously this year.

He also stated that cooperation between the Albanian and United States governments could be a real game changer as it would make it possible to eliminate illegal drug trafficking in Albania. This could be a great opportunity for Albanian growers to begin selling their crops to people in the United States rather than dealing with “drug traffickers who have greatly endangered people in Albania for decades”, explained a local grower. 

This may be the best chance to take advantage of their excellent product and to do so legally–instead of discreetly and with fear, which is what has happened up until now.

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