The Albanian government has approved the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, issuing licenses covering 29,000 hectares of land stretching from the north to the south of the country — a move hailed by officials as a boost to the economy but sharply criticized by the opposition and experts as a potential gateway to state capture by organized crime.
The decision, taken two months before the May 11 parliamentary elections, comes amid mounting evidence of Albania's deep entanglement with international drug trafficking networks. Italian anti-mafia authorities and Finnish police have, in the last few weeks, announced sweeping operations targeting Albanian criminal groups involved in cocaine and cannabis trafficking across Europe.
Albania's track record with drug cultivation is marred by the notorious 2015 operation that followed the crackdown on Lazarat, once known as Europe's cannabis capital. Rather than ending the illicit trade, critics say, the operation paved the way for the widespread and semi-official expansion of cannabis cultivation throughout the country.
According to the center-right Democratic Party, the government's latest move is a revival of that policy—this time under the guise of legality. At a recent press conference, opposition officials presented maps showing that 80% of the licensed cultivation zones lie in border areas, including a tract just 10 meters from the Greek frontier.
Read more at Tirana Times