CORINTH – Greece’s first-ever pharmaceutical cannabis production plant was inaugurated at Examilia, in Corinth, on Thursday.

The investment by Tikun Europe, subsidiary of Israel-based Tikun Olam, was welcomed by Greek Development & Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis, who called the inauguration a historic day, speaking at the event. He noted that Greek patients will benefit from these products, despite cannabis “having a difficult history due to its nature as a narcotic.”

Georgiadis added that this is “a product which we will be able to export throughout Europe, because this factory can carry out huge exports to all major European countries.”

In his speech, the minister publicly acknowledged that Nikos Karanikas -former strategic planning advisor to SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras who attended the event – was the first in Greece to propose the bill for the legalization, production and marketing of medicinal cannabis.

Also attending were Deputy Minister of Research & Technology Christos Dimas and Tikun Europe CEO Nikos Beis.

According to Beis, the investment exceeded 40 million euros in a privately owned area of 6 hectares (60 stremmas), which includes an area of 21,000 sq.m. with state-of-the-art hybrid greenhouses, as well as a pharmaceutical unit of 3,0000 sq.m.

The plant can produce finished medicinal cannabis products in various pharmaceutical forms, Beis added.