Cannabis in Greece — what is legal and what is not
Recreational cannabis is not legal in Greece, and possession is a criminal offence. Medical cannabis, on the other hand, is legal — and since February 2024 licensed Greek pharmacies have actually dispensed it against a prescription from a Greek-licensed doctor. That distinction decides everything: the question is not whether there is cannabis in Greece, but through whom you reach it.
This page answers what visitors actually search for before a trip to Greece: what the law says, what happens if you are caught, whether you can bring your own, what changed for CBD this year, and what it costs. Without moralising and without glossing over anything.
Is cannabis legal in Greece? The precise answer
It depends entirely on which cannabis. Greece draws a sharp line between recreational use, which remains a criminal offence, and prescription medical cannabis, which is fully legal and sold in pharmacies.
The confusion is understandable, because both realities coexist in the same country. Someone who reads a headline about "Greece approving cannabis" and concludes that they can smoke on holiday has made a mistake that can be expensive. Here is the full breakdown:
| What | Status in Greece | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Recreational cannabis | Prohibited | Possession, use and home growing are criminal offences |
| Prescription medical cannabis | Legal | Sold at licensed pharmacies since February 2024 |
| CBD / hemp flower | Restricted in 2026 | Retail sale to consumers banned — details below |
| CBD oils, cosmetics, supplements | Lawful route exists | Not covered by the flower ban |
| Cannabis seeds | Sale permitted | But germination and cultivation are prohibited |
| Cannabis brought from abroad | Prohibited | Even with a valid licence from your home country |
How Greece got here
Greece removed medical cannabis from its list of prohibited substances in 2017, and Law 4523/2018 established a framework for commercial cultivation and production. But six years passed between legislation and a pharmacy shelf: the first products were actually dispensed to patients on 19 February 2024. This is why so much travel content about cannabis in Greece is still out of date — it was written during the years when the law existed but had no practical expression.
For recreational use, nothing changed at all. Greece is not the Netherlands, not Malta and not Germany. There are no coffeeshops, no cannabis clubs, and no full decriminalisation.
Penalties for cannabis possession in Greece
Under Law 4139/2013, possession for personal use is classified as a misdemeanour. Reported penalties range from fines to imprisonment of up to around five months, and for a first offence involving a personal quantity the sentence is usually converted to a fine or suspended. But that figure is misleading — it describes the end of the process, not the process.
What actually happens to someone who is caught is not a roadside fine. It is an arrest, questioning by a foreign police force, and frequently proceedings before a Greek court — with everything that entails: a local lawyer, translation, and above all time. A one-week holiday can turn into a far longer enforced stay. Even when the final legal outcome is lenient, the real price has already been paid.
Trafficking penalties are an entirely different matter — many years of imprisonment. And the line between "personal quantity" and "intent to supply" is drawn by enforcement and prosecution authorities, not by the traveller. A quantity that looks reasonable to you for a week's holiday will not necessarily look that way to whoever is searching you.
Worth internalising
Tourists have been arrested in Greece in circumstances that began as an ordinary holiday. Greek enforcement tends to be selective and unpredictable — a fact that is easy to mistake for laxity and dangerous to rely on. The fact that someone was not caught is not evidence that the act was legal.
Can you bring your own medical cannabis into Greece?
No. A foreign cannabis licence or prescription confers no rights in Greece. A notarised translation is not a permit — it merely certifies that the translation is faithful to the original, and carries no regulatory standing with the Greek authorities.
This is the most expensive mistake in this field, and it is common because several providers market "notarised translation of your licence" as though it solved the problem. It does not. Bringing cannabis into Greece requires prior authorisation from the Greek authorities themselves, through a process that is not the same as sending a translated document, and most travellers do not in fact complete it.
The reverse direction is closed too: you may not take cannabis products out of Greece. Many countries, including Israel, treat importing cannabis as a criminal offence even when it was bought entirely lawfully at a Greek pharmacy with a valid prescription. What is bought in Greece stays in Greece.
This is covered in depth — including what each side actually requires and why a certified translation is not a permit — on flying to Greece with medical cannabis.
What changed for CBD in Greece in 2026
Law 5302/2026, in force since May 2026, bans the retail sale, distribution and supply of dried hemp flower to consumers — regardless of its THC or cannabinoid content. The Greek medicines regulator (EOF) enforces this through market inspections.
This is the most significant change in Greece this year, and it has barely been reported outside specialist trade press. In practical terms: shops that sold CBD flower to travellers — a model that was widespread in Greece in recent years, and that many travel guides still recommend — are no longer operating lawfully in respect of that product.
Other CBD products were not covered by the ban: oils, cosmetics and food supplements retain a lawful route to market. Import, storage and wholesale supply remain permitted, but only for industrial processing into such products, not for direct retail sale of flower to consumers.
For a visitor this means one thing: do not rely on a guide written before May 2026. If a source recommends a "CBD shop in Greece" for buying flower, it is describing a reality the law has already changed. The relevant enforcement body is EOF, and the inspections are real.
The only legal route for a visitor
A prescription from a Greek-licensed doctor, filled at a licensed pharmacy in Greece. This is the only way a visitor can lawfully hold cannabis in Greece — and contrary to what many assume, it does not require a cannabis licence from your home country at all.
That point bears repeating, because it is the opposite of most people's intuition: a foreign licence does not help, and the absence of one does not hinder. This is a wholly independent Greek medical assessment. The Greek doctor reviews the request under Greek regulation and decides.
How it works in practice
- Online questionnaire — about 3 minutes, and you can complete it from home before your flight.
- Remote review — a Greek-licensed doctor examines the request.
- Digital prescription — if the doctor approves. Valid at any licensed pharmacy in Greece, for up to 30 days from issue.
- Pharmacy — present your passport and the prescription.
Concentration, quantity and dosage are set by the doctor alone, subject to Greek regulation — they are not chosen by the patient. If the doctor does not approve, there is no prescription; with CanaFlight you receive a full refund in that case.
The full process — who is eligible, what is required, and what happens at each stage — is set out in the complete guide to medical cannabis in Greece.
What cannabis costs in Greece
At a licensed pharmacy, commonly cited figures are currently around €9–15 per gram, depending on concentration, product and pharmacy. The price is set by the pharmacy itself and is not controlled by any external service.
Products are supplied in sealed containers, and the range of concentrations and pack sizes varies between pharmacies and over time. Figures commonly cited today fall between roughly 9% and 31% THC in 5g or 10g packs — but these are illustrative only, and this is not a catalogue to choose from.
Beyond the cost of the product itself, there is a cost for coordinating the referral to the doctor. With CanaFlight: ₪169 on the basic track, ₪249 on the express track, ₪349 on VIP — a one-off payment made before the referral, with a full refund if the doctor does not approve.
Where in Greece — cities and islands
A prescription issued by a Greek doctor is valid at any licensed pharmacy in the country, not only in the city where it was issued. Actual availability, however, differs sharply between destinations: in large cities the pharmacy network is dense and there is always an alternative, whereas on small, seasonal islands the number of pharmacies is limited and availability is less predictable.
A simple rule of thumb: if you land in Athens and continue to a small island, sort it out in Athens first.
Rules of conduct that keep you out of trouble
- Do not smoke in public. Not even with a valid Greek prescription. Greece prohibits smoking in enclosed public spaces, and smoking cannabis in public draws the attention of law enforcement regardless of any prescription.
- Keep the original packaging and the prescription. A product without packaging and without a prescription looks exactly like illegal cannabis, and there is no way to prove otherwise on the spot.
- Do not cross borders. Not homeward, and not to any other country — including connecting flights and ferry routes from Greek islands to destinations outside Greece.
- Do not share or pass it on. Transferring it to another person, even for free, can be assessed very differently from personal possession.
- Check the prescription is still valid. Up to 30 days from issue. On a longer trip, confirm it is still in date before going to the pharmacy.
- Respect the rules of where you are staying. A hotel or rental property is not obliged to permit use on its premises, even where it is lawful.
Frequently asked questions — cannabis in Greece
Is cannabis legal in Greece?
Partly. For recreational use — no, and possession is a criminal offence. Medical cannabis — yes, on a prescription from a Greek-licensed doctor, and since February 2024 licensed pharmacies have actually dispensed it.
What happens if you are caught with cannabis in Greece?
Under Law 4139/2013 it is a misdemeanour, and reported penalties range from fines to imprisonment of up to around five months — usually converted to a fine or suspended for a first offence involving a personal quantity. But the process itself involves arrest and legal proceedings in a foreign country, and that is the real cost.
I hold a medical cannabis licence at home — is it valid in Greece?
No. A foreign licence confers no rights in Greece, and a notarised translation of it is not a permit. A prescription from a Greek-licensed doctor is required. Conversely, not holding a foreign licence is no obstacle to obtaining a Greek prescription.
Can I buy CBD flower in a shop in Greece?
Not any more. Law 5302/2026, in force since May 2026, bans the retail sale of dried hemp flower to consumers regardless of THC content. Oils, cosmetics and supplements were not covered by the ban.
How much does a gram of cannabis cost in Greece?
At a licensed pharmacy, commonly cited figures are currently around €9–15 per gram, depending on concentration, product and pharmacy. The price is set by the pharmacy and may change.
Can I take what I bought in Greece back home?
No. Many countries, including Israel, treat importing cannabis as a criminal offence even when it was bought entirely lawfully at a Greek pharmacy with a valid prescription.
Can I smoke in my hotel or rental in Greece?
Greek law prohibits smoking in enclosed public spaces, and your host is not obliged to permit use on their premises even where it is lawful. That is the property owner's decision, not a guest's right.
Do I need to be in Greece to start the process?
No. You can complete the questionnaire from home before your flight. The prescription, if the doctor approves, is valid for up to 30 days from issue — so it can be timed to your travel dates.
Want the process itself, step by step? The complete guide to medical cannabis in Greece. Travelling with a licence from home and wondering what it is worth? Flying to Greece with medical cannabis.
Sources
The legal statements on this page were checked against the sources below. Regulation may change — where anything is in doubt, the competent authority is the governing source.
- EOF (Greek National Organization for Medicines) announcement prohibiting retail sale of dried flower — 21 May 2026, Law 5302/2026, Gazette A′78, articles 43(2) and 46
- EOF clarification: the ban does not apply to medicinal cannabis dispensed through pharmacies
- Government advisory body warning of possible conflict with EU law
- The Italian referral to the Court of Justice of the EU — Italian Council of State, November 2025; a ruling is not expected before late 2026
- First medical cannabis dispensed in Greek pharmacies — 19 February 2024
Want to do this the legal way?
A 3-minute online form — a licensed Greek doctor reviews your request — and if approved, the prescription is yours in as little as 1 hour during working hours on VIP. Not approved? Full refund.
Check eligibility →