How Greece is growing medical marijuana to tackle high unemployment

Medical marijuana has grown to be an effective economy booster in many places that have adopted legal cannabis laws and now Greece lawmakers are hoping it can help them take some much needed steps forward. The northern Greek city of Veroia is known to have a similar climate to California, dry and warm, great for growing and cultivating cannabis. Legislators have proposed a bill to make the country's medical marijuana plan a reality by summer hoping the new industry alone will create over 2,000 jobs within the next few years. Investors see lots of potential for growth in the cannabis industry and there is even interest in a recreational cannabis market in the future. The current average monthly salary in Greece is €586 and employees of the cannabis industry are able make around $80,000-100,000 a year.

A project to cultivate, process and export medical marijuana in Veroia, in the fertile north of the country, shows how Greece sees cannabis as a possible growth industry for the country, which has a warm, dry climate similar to California. New legislation could make the plan a reality as soon as next summer.