The legal picture

Cannabis in Greece: what is legal, what is not, and what sits between

Weed is illegal in Greece: possessing or using cannabis without a prescription is a criminal offence under Law 4139/2013, for visitors too. Medical cannabis is legal only on a prescription from a Greek-licensed physician, dispensed at a licensed pharmacy under the supervision of EOF. CBD oils are still sold, but since 20 May 2026 Law 5302/2026, art. 43(2) bans the sale to consumers of dried hemp flower with up to 0.3% THC, and its purchase and use by consumers.

Three tracks you must not confuse

Most confusion around "cannabis in Greece" comes from the word describing three things that Greek law treats entirely separately:

Track	Status	Who it applies to
Prescribed medical cannabis	Regulated and legal	Holders of a prescription from a Greek-licensed physician
Recreational use	Criminal offence	Everyone, without exception
Industrial hemp and CBD	Separately regulated, recently changed	Buyers of oils, cosmetics and supplements

The important conclusion: seeing an open CBD shop in Athens does not mean cannabis is legal in Greece. These are different tracks, and only one of them is relevant to someone seeking treatment.

02 · Medical

The only route open to a visitor

The regulation stayed on paper for years before pharmacies actually started dispensing. The facts and conditions, briefly:

Medical cannabis in Greece: the facts and conditions
Legislation	In place since 2017
Pharmacy dispensing	In practice since February 2024
Regulator	The National Organisation for Medicines (EOF), which approves products and issues licences
Prescription	From a Greek-licensed physician only. There is no substitute
Collection	At a licensed pharmacy only, not every pharmacy
Product and dose	The physician sets the product, concentration and quantity, subject to regulation
Valid for	Up to 30 days, inside Greece only

For a visitor this means one thing: the route runs through a Greek-licensed physician, remotely before you travel or during your stay in Greece. The full process is in the guide.

03 · Recreational

Recreational use: no grey area here

Possession and use of cannabis outside a prescription remains a criminal offence in Greece. That holds for small quantities, and it holds for visitors.

Nor does holding a valid prescription grant blanket permission:

What is allowed and what is not, with and without a prescription
Where	Without a prescription	With a valid Greek prescription
Private accommodation: a hotel or an apartment	An offence	This is where use is intended
Public space: a beach, a bar, the street	An offence	Not covered by the prescription
Driving under the influence	An offence	Enforced like alcohol. The prescription is not a defence

Do not rely on "everyone does it" Social tolerance in a particular place is not a change in the law, and a foreign visitor is exactly who pays the price when enforcement tightens. A prescription is not a licence to use anywhere.

04 · Hemp and CBD

The track that changed recently

Industrial hemp, the low-THC variety, is regulated in Greece separately from medical cannabis, within a European framework. This is the world of CBD oils, cosmetics and food supplements.

This area has changed significantly. Law 5302/2026, published on 20 May 2026, introduced a ban on low-THC hemp flower:

What Law 5302/2026 banned, and what it did not
Product	Status since 20 May 2026
Dried hemp flower with a THC content of up to 0.3%	Banned: retail sale to consumers, and purchase and use by consumers
Oils, cosmetics, food and supplements	Not covered by the ban
Prescription medical cannabis	Not covered. The medical route continues to operate through licensed pharmacies

More on CBD in Greece on the dedicated page.

Why this is flagged Older guides online still describe an open CBD flower market in Greece. Do not plan around them. This is exactly the kind of information that goes stale and gets people into trouble.

05 · What it means in practice

What all this means when you land

Do not bring cannabis with you. Not from anywhere, and not with a valid licence from home.
Do not take cannabis out of Greece. What is bought there stays there.
The only legal route is a local prescription from a Greek-licensed physician.
Even with a prescription, use is limited to private accommodation, and does not extend to driving.

The flying page covers what happens at customs in both directions, and why a notarised translation does not solve the problem.

06 · Verification

How to check for yourself

This area moves, so it is worth checking an official source close to your travel date rather than relying on a guide, ours or anyone else's.

The National Organisation for Medicines (EOF): the regulator. Publishes official announcements, standards and licence registers.
The Greek Ministry of Health: for legislation and regulatory updates.
EUDA, the EU Drugs Agency: a neutral summary of the legal position in Greece.
Your own country's consulate in Greece: for consular guidance. Israeli citizens: the Israeli Embassy in Athens.

The most recent change we know of On 20 May 2026 Greece published Law 5302/2026 (Government Gazette ΦΕΚ A′78). The next day EOF announced that retail sale to consumers of hemp flower with a THC content of up to 0.3% is prohibited outright. The detail is on the CBD page.

Last updated: October 2026. Content here is general information and is not legal or medical advice.

FAQ

Questions about cannabis in Greece

Is cannabis legal in Greece?

Only as medicine. Medical cannabis on a prescription from a Greek-licensed physician is lawful and regulated. Recreational cannabis, weed or marijuana, remains a criminal offence, for visitors as well. Industrial hemp and CBD sit in a separate regulatory track entirely.

I hold a medical cannabis licence in my own country. Is it valid in Greece?

No. Medicines regulation is territorial. A licence issued under another country's law creates no status under Greek law. The only document that carries weight in Greece is a prescription from a Greek-licensed physician.

Who regulates medical cannabis in Greece?

The National Organisation for Medicines (EOF), which sits under the Greek Ministry of Health. EOF approves products, issues licences and publishes official announcements and standards.

Can I still buy CBD flower in a shop in Greece?

No. Law 5302/2026, published on 20 May 2026, prohibits the retail sale of dried hemp flower with a THC content of up to 0.3% to consumers, and its purchase and use by consumers. Prescription medical cannabis is not covered. Oils, cosmetics, food and supplements were not covered by that ban.

What is the penalty for possession?

Under Article 29(1) of Law 4139/2013, possession, procurement or use for exclusive personal use carries up to five months' imprisonment. Supply and import are listed in Article 20, where the penalty starts at eight years. Greek law sets no threshold in grams separating the two articles, and we found no ruling that settles how a court would classify a small personal quantity brought in by a traveller.

Do I have to be in Greece to start the process?

No. The medical review happens remotely, before you fly. Only the dispensing itself takes place at a licensed pharmacy inside Greece.

What else is worth reading

The full guideThe process end to end: who is assessed, how it works, what it costs. Flying with cannabisBoth directions, and the documents that do not help. CBD in GreeceWhat is allowed to buy, and what changed in 2026.

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