Greece legalised cannabis for medical use last year and in March lifted a ban on growing and producing it. Two licences were granted on Monday, and another 12 will be issued by the end of this year, the Economy and Development Ministry said.
“There is huge interest, mainly from Canada and Israel ... some of them (potential investors) are huge,” Stergios Pitsiorlas, the deputy economy minister, told a news conference.
Legalising cannabis for recreational purposes is not under consideration, Pitsiorlas said in response to a question.
The first licensed cannabis hothouses will be in Larisa in central Greece, and in Corinth in the Peloponnese. The 14 licences were expected to create more than 750 jobs and represented about 185 million euros ($212.05 million) in investment.
“Our message is that the country is open for investments,” said Vassilis Kokkalis, deputy minister of agriculture.