Ιn the Republic of Cyprus, cannabis is a controlled drug (Class B) according to the ‘Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Law 1977’ and the ‘Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Regulations 1979.’
While recreational cannabis remains prohibited in the European Union member nation, Cyprus policymakers did approve a limited medical cannabis legalization measure in 2019, expanding on a 2017 law that permitted cannabis oil use by patients diagnosed with advanced cancer. According to academic researchers in a 2021 study, the “legislation focuses mainly on promoting quality of production and substance provision.”
“The medical prescription must contain details of both the physician and the patient, and include trade name, type of pharmaceutical excipient and percentage of the content of d-9-THC and Cannabidiol, route of administration, daily dosage, and finally the total monthly quantity.” the researchers wrote about medical cannabis in Cyprus.
The Cyprus medical cannabis market is currently very limited due to several factors. When the medical cannabis law was approved in 2019, market projections for annual domestic production were as great as £204m, but that never materialized.
‘Cannabis light’ products derived from hemp that contain a low amount of THC are available in Cyprus, but many retailers seem to operate in a bit of a legal grey area.
“Cultivation and export of industrial cannabis (hemp) is permitted under ‘The Production and Marketing of Industrial Hemp Law f 2016 [Ν.61(Ι)/2016]’.” states the Cyprus Cannabis Association, the nation’s “leading the collective of individuals and companies that will build the cannabis Eco-system in Cyprus, and advancing the interests of a responsible, compliant, transparent and high-quality cannabis industry.” according to their website.
The European nation is home to a growing community of cannabis consumers. According to the European Union Drugs Agency’s 2025 report, 18% of adults in Cyprus have consumed cannabis at least once in their lifetime. For comparison purposes, 50.4% of adults in France have consumed cannabis at least once in their lives, according to the report.
Additionally, the report lists that 6% of adults in Cyprus have consumed cannabis at least once in the last year, and 3.1% of adults have consumed cannabis within the last month. Applying the monthly usage statistic to Cyprus’ estimated adult population works out to a bit over 20,000 monthly cannabis users.