Greece bans sale of dried hemp flowers

Greece has introduced a nationwide ban on retail sales of dried flowers from Cannabis sativa L. The ban applies regardless of THC level, cannabinoid content, and whether the product is sold in raw or processed form. The announcement came from the Greek medicines agency EOF on May 21, 2026, with reference to the new law 5302/26. The authority says inspections will be carried out across the market to ensure compliance.

Applies to flower, not the entire sector

The ban specifically targets dried flower sold directly to consumers. According to Greek Reporter, retailers, distributors, and suppliers are covered, and sales must stop immediately. At the same time, Greece is raising its industrial hemp threshold from 0.2 to 0.3 percent THC, aligning it with EU agricultural rules for hemp.

This does not mean that all handling of hemp is being stopped. Import, storage, and wholesale activity may still be permitted when the flower is intended for industrial processing, for example into food, cosmetics, or supplements. It is the consumer sale of the flower itself that the state now wants to remove from the market.

Public health or trade barrier?

The core legal question is whether Greece can ban an entire product category even though the EU recognizes industrial hemp below 0.3 percent THC as a regulated agricultural crop.

At the same time, EU hemp rules are not automatically an approval for all consumer products. THC limits such as 0.2 or 0.3 percent were created for hemp and seeds in agricultural and trade rules, not as a general safety limit for products used or consumed by people.

However, the EU Court of Justice’s Kanavape ruling from 2020 still sets a clear framework. The court ruled that CBD should not be treated as a narcotic in itself, and that national bans on legally produced CBD products may conflict with the free movement of goods. Public health exceptions are possible, but the measure must be suitable, necessary, and proportionate.

Italy shows the risk of broad bans

Italy has already become a warning example. The country has tried to restrict hemp and CBD through several legal routes, but courts have repeatedly questioned or blocked broad restrictions when the state has not been able to show sufficient scientific evidence of a concrete public health risk. Italy’s highest administrative court has also referred questions to the EU Court of Justice about how far member states may go when banning parts of legal industrial hemp.

That makes the Greek approach sensitive. The state can claim public health, especially if the market contains products with synthetic or semi-synthetic cannabinoids. In several countries, legal low-THC flower has been used as a carrier for substances such as HHC and other added compounds, creating a grey zone that authorities have struggled to control.

The question, then, is whether Greece is targeting the right problem. Is dried hemp itself the risk, or is the real issue synthetic additives, weak age controls, and products without traceable lab analysis? If the problem is added substances, a total ban on natural flower may be difficult to defend under EU law. Does this follow EU rules for hemp, or is Greece going further than the public health exception allows?

Sources:

PROHIBITION ON THE RETAIL SALE OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS IN THE FORM OF DRIED FLOWER

Greece Bans Cannabis Flower Products in Nationwide Retail Crackdown

The War on Europe’s Legal Hemp Industry

Greece and France tighten rules on cannabis and CBD products