Government meeting approves 7 draft laws, cannabis allowed for medical and industrial purposes — here is how it will be controlled

A draft decision of the Council of Ministers sets out the detailed rules for supervising entities that will work with the cannabis plant for medical and industrial purposes.

Control will be exercised by the National Cannabis Control Agency, in implementation of Law No. 61/2023.

According to the document, supervision will cover every stage of the activity: from the import of seeds and seedlings, to cultivation, harvesting, processing, storage, transport and export, through to the destruction of the material.

Inspections will be carried out according to an annual program, based on risk analysis, but may also be conducted without warning, for example when there are suspicions of violations.

The Agency will have 24-hour access to companies’ camera systems and will be able to use sensors, drones and satellite imagery. In case of obstruction, inspectors will be supported by the State Police.

Every movement of the material must be recorded in a national traceability system. After harvesting, the material cannot proceed to the other stages without being registered and, when required, without being analyzed. For industrial cannabis, the maximum permitted THC limit is 0.8%. If the result exceeds it, the batch is held in quarantine, while the company may request a retest within two working days.

When violations are found, companies are given tasks to correct them within a maximum of 30 days, after which a re-inspection is carried out. Suspect material may be temporarily seized. Confiscation is done by order of the Minister of Health, while destruction is carried out only by authorized entities.

Companies have the right to appeal and to request the protection of their commercial data. Licenses will be reassessed at least once every three years.

The draft laws approved:

– On the content and rules for completing the Volunteering Register, as well as the rules, deadlines and procedures for reporting to the employment services database by volunteering providers.

– On determining the rules for the organization, functioning and access to the electronic register for alternative care in the family.

– On determining the rules and procedures for monitoring the situation of the child placed in alternative family care, as well as for the organization and implementation of the monitoring and inspection of the service.

– On determining the detailed rules for supervising licensed and permitted activities with the cannabis plant and the production of its by-products for medical and industrial purposes.

– On the Fiscal Council of the Republic of Albania. This law defines the legal framework for the creation, organization, functioning and responsibilities of the Fiscal Council of the Republic of Albania (hereinafter the Fiscal Council), as an independent public legal entity, with the aim of contributing to fiscal discipline, transparency and the sustainability of public finances, in accordance with European Union requirements and international best practices.

– On the supplementary supervision of credit institutions, insurance companies and brokerage companies that are part of financial conglomerates.

– On crypto-asset markets. The object of this law is to define the rules and requirements for the offer to the public and admission to trading on a trading platform of crypto-assets, as well as to define the requirements for crypto-asset service providers.