Island · Largest in Greece
Medical Cannabis in Crete for visitors
Crete is large enough that where you are on it genuinely matters. Heraklion to Chania is about two and a half hours by road. Plan around the side you are staying on.
The place
What to know about Crete
- The only Greek island with two active international airports
- Real cities with full infrastructure, not just resort villages
- Pharmacies open year-round, including outside the season
- Direct summer flights from much of Europe
Most licensed pharmacies are concentrated in Heraklion, Chania and Rethymno. If you are staying at a resort in the south or east of the island, the distance to a dispensing pharmacy can be significant. It is worth checking before you set out, not after.
Seasonality
When to come, and what changes
Crete has the longest season of any Greek island. Temperatures stay pleasant from April through November, and in winter the island keeps functioning, mainly in the larger towns. Resort villages in the south and east shrink dramatically between November and March, but Heraklion, Chania and Rethymno operate all year.
Planning your timing
Because the island is long and the roads are slow, timing matters more here than almost anywhere else in Greece. Arriving with the prescription already issued removes the single biggest logistical cost of the trip.
The process
Arriving with a prescription in hand
The process is the same everywhere in Greece, and the prescription is valid at any licensed pharmacy in the country, not only in Crete. You fill in a questionnaire, a Greek-licensed physician reviews it remotely, before you fly, and decides independently. If approved, you receive a digital prescription in your passport name. Full details in the guide.
At the pharmacy
Redeeming in Crete
Redemption itself is short: you walk into a licensed pharmacy, show your passport, and the pharmacist retrieves the digital prescription from the system. This is the only step in the whole process that requires you to be physically in Greece. How redemption works without a Greek social security number.
| Getting there | Heraklion (HER) and Chania (CHQ) |
|---|---|
| Where the pharmacies are | Heraklion, Chania and Rethymno |
| Drive from the resort areas | Up to an hour and a half each way from villages in the south and east |
| Out of season | The cities run normally; resort villages shrink sharply between November and March |
Bring your passport, the digital prescription and a means of payment. What is checked at the counter, and why the passport number has to match exactly.
Opening hours
Hours are set regionally rather than nationally, the afternoon break is a local custom rather than a binding rule, and on Sundays and overnight only duty pharmacies are open. The full rule, and how to find a duty pharmacy.
Questions
What people ask us
I'm staying in Elounda. Where is the nearest pharmacy?
I land in Chania but I'm driving to Heraklion. Does it matter where I redeem?
I am staying in the south or the east. How long will this take?
Do pharmacies in Crete open in winter?
Other destinations
The prescription works here too
One digital prescription, any licensed pharmacy in Greece.
Heading to Crete?
A short questionnaire, and a Greek-licensed physician will assess whether you are suitable. No commitment.
Start the eligibility check