The the Government will try to pass the bill on control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under the “European flag” procedure, although VMRO-DPMNE’s group in Parliament announced that if the government tries to pass this law under the “European flag” procedure, it will block all future bills that is, it will block the Parliament.

Government spokesman Dusko Arsovski explains that the bill will be passed under the “European flag” procedure because its text contains several framework decisions and directives of the European Parliament and the European Council to harmonize this activity with EU regulation, as well as several conventions such as the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs with the 1972 Supplementary Protocol; the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Drug Trafficking.

One of the novelties provided by this bill is the establishment of the Agency for Control of Cultivation and Extraction of Cannabis and Production of Cannabis and Cannabis Preparations for Medical and Scientific Purposes, which performs its activities on the basis of the principles of legality, expertise, professionalism, responsibility, efficiency and transparency.

As envisioned, the bill will enable the export of dried flowers obtained by growing cannabis for medical purposes, so that cannabis growers are allowed to place the already produced quantities of dry herbal product as narcotics on the markets in Europe and beyond, while respecting international conventions and European legislation regulating the matter.