Health Minister Petros Petrides clarified the intention to promote the Anti-Drugs Council amendment of the legislation, to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp for industrial purposes. The Minister explained that medical cannabis has been accepted for use in various countries and is administered under medical advice, to relieve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, vomiting caused by chemotherapy, chronic pain and more. Mr. Petrides clarified that in no case cannabis is administered for healing of any disease . Replying to a question by MP George Perdikis, the Health Minister said that the standards of medical cannabis differ greatly from the common hemp channeled through illegal trade. He also noted that currently in Cyprus there are no medicines licensed by the Medicine Council containing cannabis.

Mr. Petrides also said that with regard to the cultivation of hemp for industrial purposes, the Anti-Drugs Council recently decided to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act to comply with the acquis communautaire to allow the cultivation of industrial hemp which contains less than 0.2% of the active ingredient Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in dry mass.