[ad_1]
The Albanian Government has submitted for public consultation the draft law “On the control of cultivation and processing of the cannabis plant and the production of its by-products for medical and industrial purposes”.
According to the law, in Albania will be established the National Agency for Control and Monitoring of Cultivation and Processing of Cannabis Plant for medical and industrial purposes and Production of its By-products. The Agency shall be the institution responsible for monitoring the implementation of the provisions of this law regarding the control and supervision of the cultivation and processing of the cannabis plant as well as the production of its by-products.
The agency is organized and operates at the central level, based in Tirana, depending on the minister responsible for health. It will draft the evaluation criteria of applicants based on this law and the bylaws issued in its implementation, will organize the procedures for issuing a license for the cultivation and processing of the cannabis plant and the production of its by-products for medical purposes, will re-evaluate every three years, the fulfillment of the licensing conditions. It must guarantee the development of the activity of the licensed subjects in accordance with the conditions and criteria defined in the license as well as of the subjects allowed for the cultivation of the cannabis plant for medical and industrial purposes.
The Agency supervises the licensed activity at each stage and for each production cycle, to ensure that the activity is carried out in accordance with the law and bylaws issued in its implementation, the provisions in the license and the provisions in the approved production plan. The Agency conducts inspections according to this law and, when necessary, coordinates inspections carried out in cooperation with other institutions and cooperates and exchanges information with the State Police and other institutions, national or international, with which Albania has agreements, in the field of the fight against the use, trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances and the laundering of proceeds of illicit activity.
The Licensing Commission will be established at the Agency to review and evaluate the applications submitted for obtaining a license.
The license for exercising the activity of cultivation and processing of the cannabis plant as well as the production of its by-products for medical purposes, is granted for a period of 15 years, with the right of renewal.
The license is approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers, based on the selection procedure, organized by the Agency. The total area allowed for the cultivation of the cannabis plant for medical purposes may not exceed 150 hectares nationally.
Every legal entity applying for a license must have experience in the cultivation, production, processing, circulation and administration of the cannabis plant for medical purposes. He or a shareholder who owns 51% of the company’s shares must be a cannabis plant by-product producer in one of the OECD countries and a GMP (Good Manifacturing Practice) good manufacturing), issued by the EMA (European Medical Agency) or the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
The minimum required capital must be at least 100 million Lekë.
After the third year of activity, the licensed entity will pay an annual fee equal to 1.5% of annual turnover, but in any case, not less than the equivalent of 10 million Lekë.
As for the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes, it will be allowed to entities that are registered in the Register of Industrial Cannabis Growers, which is created and administered in the ministry responsible for agriculture. The permit is issued for a period of 5 years with the right of renewal, for an area of not less than 1 hectare. The license allows production of up to 4 border production units. For non-border units, a new license or permit is required.
Applications for cultivation licenses can be submitted starting from January 1, 2023. The entity equipped with a cultivation permit is allowed to plant only seeds and seedlings registered in the institution responsible for the registration of seeds and seedlings. The entity must notify the Agency and the ministry responsible for agriculture not less than 10 days before the harvest of the plant.
The farmer will keep a data register according to the approved format and which should contain data containing on seeds and seedlings planted, quantity produced, destroyed plants, buyer of raw material, fertilizer products used, annual solvency analysis of soil and other elements.
The Council of Ministers within November 30 of each year, approves with the proposal of the Agency the cadastral zones (territories) where the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes will be allowed./Monitor.al
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
