Guide
Medical cannabis in Greece: the complete guide for visitors
What is permitted, what is not, who gets assessed and how the process actually runs, including the parts that are inconvenient to hear.
01 · The framework
What exactly is legal in Greece
Greece regulated medical cannabis by legislation in 2017. For years that regulation stayed on paper, and actual dispensing in pharmacies only began in February 2024. Since then, a patient holding a valid prescription from a Greek-licensed physician can collect medical cannabis products at a licensed pharmacy.
The supervising body is the National Organisation for Medicines (EOF), it approves products, issues licences and publishes the official product standard.
What remains illegal
- Recreational use. Possession and use outside a prescription remains a criminal offence in Greece under article 29 of Law 4139/2013. What the cannabis penalties in Greece are in practice.
- Use in public. Even with a prescription, use is intended for private accommodation, not the street, the beach or a bar.
- Driving under the influence. Enforced like alcohol, and a prescription is not a defence.
- Moving products across the Greek border. In either direction.
02 · Foreign documents
Why what you hold at home does not help in Greece
This is the point most people miss. A medical cannabis licence or prescription issued in another country is not valid in Greece. It confers no right, does not shorten any process, and is not evidence before any Greek authority.
Medicines regulation is territorial. A document issued under one country's law creates no standing under Greek law, exactly as a Greek prescription would do nothing for you back home.
What about a notarised translation?
No. A notary certifies that a translation is faithful to the original. It does not turn the document into an authorisation, and gives it no force in another country. A translated foreign document is still a foreign document. Why a translated cannabis licence is not an authorisation to fly.
The practical consequence is simple: anyone wanting medical cannabis while in Greece needs a prescription from a Greek-licensed physician, which can be issued remotely before you travel. That is the only route, and there is no shortcut.
03 · Eligibility
Who gets assessed
Greece recognises six groups of indications for medical cannabis, under the EOF core summary of product characteristics as approved on 28 September 2026. The list is updated over time: inflammatory bowel disease was added in November 2025 and sleep disorders in September 2026. Cannabis is not a first-line therapy, and the physician considers it only where conventional treatments have not helped, were unsuitable or were not tolerated.
- Severe nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy, radiotherapy or combination therapy for HIV or hepatitis C
- Chronic pain linked to cancer or to disease of the central or peripheral nervous system, including neuropathic pain: nerve damage, phantom limb pain, trigeminal neuralgia, post-herpetic neuralgia
- Spasticity in multiple sclerosis or spinal cord lesions
- Appetite stimulation in palliative care for people treated for cancer or AIDS
- Inflammatory bowel disease: symptomatic treatment in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, not a replacement for established therapies
- Secondary insomnia / sleep disorders: short-term treatment only, where the insomnia is severe and limits daily functioning or causes marked distress, not a replacement for established therapies
An initial prescription may only be issued by an anaesthesiologist, neurologist, oncologist, infectious-disease specialist or rheumatologist. A licence issued in another country is not equivalent and does not carry over, the assessment is made against the Greek list.
04 · The process
How it actually works
A Greek medical cannabis prescription is issued remotely, from your phone. You can start before you fly, and if the physician approves, land in Greece with the prescription already in hand.
1. The questionnaire
Questions about your health, what you have already tried, and your passport details. You do not need a medical file, discharge summaries or translated documents.
2. The physician's review
A Greek-licensed physician receives the request and reviews it. They may ask for clarification. The decision is theirs, entirely independent. Response time depends on the plan you chose.
3. The decision
Approved, a digital prescription in your passport name. Not approved, the service fee is refunded in full. Apart from the exceptions set out in the cancellations policy, there is no middle state where you have paid and have neither a prescription nor your money.
4. Collection
At a licensed pharmacy in Greece, with the prescription and your passport. You pay for the product there, directly to the pharmacy.
05 · Costs
What it costs, and for what exactly
There are two entirely separate payments here, and it matters not to confuse them.
| What | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee ₪289 or ₪379 by plan |
Us, for coordination, submission and support | When you submit the request |
| The product itself €9.46–12.85 per gram, official price list |
The pharmacy in Greece, directly | At collection |
The service fee does not include the product, and we are not intermediaries in its purchase. Medical cannabis prices in Greece are set centrally by a Greek Ministry of Health decision, not by the pharmacy, as a maximum that applies nationwide. Under the list published on 20 May 2026, dried flower runs €9.46 to €12.85 per gram depending on strain and pack size, VAT included. It is not reimbursed by insurance. Medical cannabis pharmacy prices in Greece, strain by strain.
If the physician does not approve, the service fee is refunded in full. Full details in the cancellations and refunds policy.
06 · At the pharmacy
What happens when you go to collect
- Bring your passport. The prescription is in your passport name and the pharmacy will ask to see it.
- Licensed pharmacies only. Not every pharmacy in Greece dispenses medical cannabis.
- The physician decides, not you. Concentration, quantity and product are set in the prescription and subject to regulation.
- Valid nationwide. Not only where it was issued (Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete, Rhodes and the islands).
On the VIP plan we help you locate a nearby pharmacy. Neither EOF nor the Greek Ministry of Health publishes a list of dispensing pharmacies, so it is worth phoning ahead. How to find a cannabis pharmacy in Greece, and what to bring.
07 · Borders
What is prohibited, without qualification
These two prohibitions are the whole reason the local route exists. You start it a few days before you fly, and at the end of it your prescription and your product are lawful inside Greece.
08 · Mistakes
Mistakes that keep coming up
Starting on the day you land
The physician needs time to review, and on Standard that is up to 5 business days. People who start at the airport discover the holiday ended before the answer arrived. Start before you fly.
Assuming a foreign licence counts for something
It does not. See section 2. This is the most expensive mistake on the list.
Confusing CBD with medical cannabis
These are two separate regulatory worlds in Greece with entirely different rules. Details here.
The prescription expires after 30 days
The count starts at issue, not at landing. On a long trip, or one that gets postponed, check the dates still line up.
Last updated: . The information here is general and is not a substitute for medical or legal advice. Regulation in this area changes. Verify with an official source close to your travel date.
By destination
Where are you flying?
Each destination has a different airport, a different spread of pharmacies and a different timetable. The prescription itself is valid across Greece.
FAQ
Questions we haven't answered yet
Do I need a medical cannabis licence from my own country?
How long is the Greek prescription valid?
Do I need Greek or English at the pharmacy?
What does the product cost?
Is the Greek prescription valid in other European countries?
What happens if the physician does not approve?
Read next
What else is worth reading
Read enough? Let's check whether you are suitable.
A short questionnaire, and a Greek-licensed physician will review the request. No commitment.
Start the eligibility check