The legalization of medical marijuana could bring positive results on the economy, that is according to the deputy minister of economy, Besart Kadia.

“Gangs bloomed when alcohol was illegal in the United States, and the state was losing on taxes”, argued Kadia.

On tonight’s Now with Erla Mehilli, the deputy minister maintained that in case Albania was to legalize cannabis for medical purposes, the product would also be exported abroad.

He took Germany as an example of one of the potential recipient countries.

The government shared a form from the National Advisory, where it addressed Albanian citizens various questions, to measure whether they agree on several important decisions. One of the questions made is on legalizing medical cannabis.

The deputy minister said that the government wants to see what the citizens think on the most pressing issues, as a form of a statewide “suggestive referendum”.

‘Legalization of medical marijuana could slash criminal rates’

According to the chair of the Chamber of Commerce, Nikolin Jaka, the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes could help slash marijuana-related offenses.

Jaka said he supported the initiative since it was introduced for the first time twelve years ago.

“Anything that becomes legal minimizes crime […] Prices spiral out of control and costs skyrocket. Because for a criminal to operate in the drug smuggling system, he is forced to feed the entire system that is impeding him, including the police, so the cost of the product becomes unimaginably high”, explained Jaka.

He recommended endorsing every type of initiative that could yield a positive impact on the economy.  Jaka added that the best way to take such a decision would be through a national referendum.

“There is only one instrument; a referendum reaching out to the people”, he said.

In addition, he raised another problem and what should the government do.

“It’s not so simple to build a farm. The problem is mainly technical. You can build a farm, but the oil doesn’t come out good so you’re stuck with a product that you can’t sell. This part requires further analysis […] A developing country cannot function without a ministry for private enterprises in order to cross analyze whether the benefits outweigh the costs”, concluded Jaka.