Cigarette and alcohol use among 15- and 16-year-olds is declining across Europe but the numbers using cannabis are growing, an EU survey shows.

The Espad report for 2015 includes most EU countries, but not Germany or the UK, and data for Spain is incomplete. 

In 2015 "current smokers" accounted for 21% of those surveyed, and the highest total was in Italy (37%). 

In 1995-2015 those using alcohol in the past 30 days fell from 56% to 47%. Top in cannabis use were the Czechs (37%).

That figure for Czech teenagers reporting a lifetime experience of cannabis was higher than the level in the US - 31% in comparable surveys. 

The ministry of health on Monday announced the formation of a working group consisting of  academics, psychiatrists, and scientific and legal advisers of the prime minister, health ministry and the justice ministry and members of patient associations, to initiate a discussion on the medical use of the cannabis.
The group’s mission is to assess the contemporary use of the cannabis and the legislative framework, and to propose feasible regulations that would make the medicinal use of cannabis possible.
It's findings will be advisory and the working group is to submit its propositions to the minister of health by October 30, 2016.

The Greek Health Ministry on Monday announced the formation of a working group consisting of  academics, psychiatrists, and scientific and legal advisers of the prime minister, health ministry and the justice ministry and members of patient associations, to initiate a discussion on the medical use of the cannabis.

36 leftist SYRIZA MPs submitted a question to Greek Health Minister Panagiotis Kouroumblis regarding the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. The question, titled “National plan for medicinal cannabis,” follows a previous request for the legalization of medical marijuana production in February.

International attention was raised yesterday in the conference held inside the European Parliament in Brussels on hemp and medical cannabis hosted by SYRIZA MEP, Stelios Kouloglou. 

Prominent figures from the world of politics, international organizations and civil society and many participants from all over Europe to the US participated in a rich and constructive debate on the therapeutic value of cannabis and the multiple uses resulting from the cultivation of this plant helping thus to boost the employment and the economy.

The European magazine Politico announced the conference with a special report entitled “is growing hemp the way to save the Greek economy?”

Twenty SYRIZA lawmakers proposed in parliament on Monday the full legalization of cannabis for medical and pharmaceutical purposes.

The proposal was addressed to the Ministers of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights; Health; Economy; Development and Tourism; Agriculture and Food, Interior and Administrative Reconstruction.

MP Makis Balaouras was the first to sign the proposal arguing that the cultivation of industrial cannabis can be a positive factor in Greece’s efforts to redeploy the primary and secondary production and boost economy.