Government approves standards for medical cannabis cultivation

The Council of Ministers approved this Wednesday a decision that sets standards for areas and plots of land where the cultivation of the cannabis plant for medical and industrial purposes will be permitted.

According to the decision, cultivation will be prohibited in:

Protected areas and those with priority for tourism development.
Forests, pastures, meadows and military areas.
Urban areas, according to local territorial planning documents.
Also, plots must be at least 3 km away from bee parks and military areas. The concentration of heavy metals in the soil must be within the permitted limits to ensure the quality of cultivation.

The cultivation process will follow international standards for good agricultural and collection practices, ensuring the safe medical and industrial use of cannabis.

This decision aims to establish clear rules to avoid abuses and promote the controlled use of the plant in the medical and economic industry.

Decision: 

2. The standards for areas and plots of land for the cultivation of the cannabis plant for medical purposes are:

a) land parcels, part of the production unit, that cannot lie within the boundaries of the zones:

i. protected areas and priority areas for tourism development, declared as such by decision of the Council of Ministers;

ii. forests, pastures and meadows;

iii. military;

iv. defined as an urban system in local territorial planning documents.

b) land plots, part of the production unit, which must be at a distance of at least 3 (three) km, as the crow flies, from bee parks, approved according to the legislation on beekeeping;

c) land plots, part of the production unit, which must be at a distance of at least 3 km by air from military areas and assets/properties under the administrative responsibility of the Ministry of Defense;

ç) the concentration of heavy metals in soil or in cultivation areas (cultivation substrates), where cannabis is cultivated for medical purposes, which must not exceed the maximum values ​​set out in Annex 1, which is attached to this decision and is an integral part thereof;

d) land or cultivation grounds (cultivation substrates), where medical cannabis is cultivated, which must meet the standards provided for in the guidelines for good agricultural and collection practices of the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization, as well as in the standards provided for by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

3. The standards for areas and plots of land for the cultivation of the cannabis plant for industrial purposes are:

a) land parcels, part of the production unit, that cannot lie within the boundaries of the zones:

i. protected areas and priority areas for tourism development, declared as such by decision of the Council of Ministers;

ii. forests, pastures and meadows;

iii. military;

iv. defined as an urban system by local territorial planning documents.

b) land plots, part of the production unit, which must be at a distance of at least 3 (three) km as the crow flies from bee parks, approved according to the legislation on beekeeping;

c) land plots, part of the production unit, which must be at a distance of at least 3 (three) km by air from military areas and assets/properties under the administrative responsibility of the Ministry of Defense.

4. In cases where, for the exercise of the activity, construction interventions are foreseen on the land plot, part of the production unit, the construction is carried out according to the provisions of the territorial planning and development legislation.

5. In cases where the land plot is used for the cultivation of cannabis for medical or industrial purposes, it must be equipped with a deed of acquisition of ownership, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Code and Law No. 111/2018, "On the Cadastre".

6. The standards provided for in points 2, letters “a”, subsection “iv”, and “b”, and 3, letters “a”, subsection “iv”, and “b”, of this decision, do not apply when cultivation is carried out in closed environments.

7. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the National Cannabis Control Agency and licensed and permitted entities are charged with the implementation of this decision.