Extraordinary inspections begin for medical cannabis companies, 43 licenses to be checked
Skopje, 12 February 2026 (MIA) - Health Minister Azir Aliu said Thursday that the inspections of all companies producing medical cannabis have begun. He said at a press conference that all 43 licenses will be thoroughly checked.
Health Minister Azir Aliu reminded that government passed a decision to appoint members of the inter-ministerial commission.
“Starting today, extraordinary inspections will be carried out together with the Interior Ministry. All 43 medical cannabis production licenses will be checked. At a government session two days ago, members of the inter-ministerial commission were officially appointed, and a Ministry of Health official will lead it. The commission was established in 2017, but no reports on its activities have been found, despite its key role in overseeing medical cannabis production,” Aliu said.
Aliu explained that, for now, there are two commissions: one formed by the Ministry of Health, which works continuously, and another the inter-ministerial commission.
“The commission established by the Ministry of Health has five members. It is responsible for two tasks: analyzing administrative procedures and approving licenses. This commission works continuously, and we have information on how many cases are archived. The other commission is inter-ministerial, with much broader authority, analyzing policies for these types of processes. The inter-ministerial commission is established under the Government Law and, I believe, has 13 members. It was formed in 2017 and has been active since, but no reports or activities indicate any systemic or infrastructure-related shortcomings. Regarding the regulations, there are two – one old and one new. Our experts from the Ministry of Health, along with two university professors, analyzed them. Based on these analyses, if needed, we will initiate a procedure regarding the regulations” Aliu noted.
Aliu informed that on Tuesday, at a government session, he requested legal changes that would grant the minister the authority to form more than one commission in such cases.
Фото/видео: МИА
