Slave Ivanovski was among North Macedonia’s biggest exporters of tomatoes and peppers until two years ago he switched to growing cannabis for medical use.
The country legalised the growth of cannabis for medicinal purposes in 2016, joining a growing number of countries to have done so or be about to do so, such as Britain, Greece, Thailand and some U.S. states.
“This is a very profitable business, which does not require a lot of hard work and has a future,” Ivanovski told Reuters standing by a large cannabis plant in his greenhouse in Stip, south east of the capital Skopje.
Since 2017, North Macedonia has issued 28 licences for growth and production of cannabis oil and another 15 companies are waiting for permits. But so far very little has been produced and no exports have been made as producers hone their skills.
Read the full article at Reuters (Ivana Sekularac)