Greece's government will ban cannabis products from kiosks, mini markets and vending machines as early as next week, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis announced, after a series of incidents in which minors consumed cannabis-derived gummies and vaping oils freely available in convenience outlets across the country.
"All cannabis products must be withdrawn from kiosks and mini markets," Mr. Georgiadis said, adding that further legislative provisions would be submitted to Parliament within days as part of what he described as a crackdown on an "uncontrolled market."
He said the government aims to "put an end to lawlessness" in the sector.
The ban follows parliamentary approval last week of a broader healthcare bill that passed by majority vote and includes a new digital registry within the Health Ministry to monitor cannabis product supply chains and improve market traceability.
The legislation also extends the sales ban to vending machines, closing a gap that had allowed easy automated access.
Public health officials and school authorities had raised alarms over the past year as hemp-derived and cannabis-adjacent products proliferated in convenience retail without consistent regulatory enforcement — a market expansion that outpaced existing oversight frameworks.
The ministry stressed that medical cannabis will continue to be dispensed exclusively through physician prescriptions and regulated pharmaceutical channels, and will not be affected by the new restrictions targeting recreational and consumer cannabis products.