Cannabis sativa L.: A New Promising Crop for Medical and Industrial Use

The cannabis plant was discovered 10,000 years ago without its exact use being known in China and Central Asia. Equally highly interested in this plant are the pharmaceutical and construction sectors. The cultivation of Cannabis sativa L. varieties containing more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been legalized by the law 4523/2018 in Greece for the sole purpose of producing end-products of medicinal cannabis. The use of medicinal cannabis is important for dealing with chronic diseases. As far as cannabis cultivated for industrial use is concerned, there is a significant increase in the secondary services sector. The resulting fibers are used for the manufacture of ropes etc. Especially CBD is of great interest. Through surveys carried out by the Agronomy Laboratory of Agricultural University of Athens regarding the development of cannabis by applying geotextiles, radiation management, cannabidiol (CBD) content and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), statistical data have been compiled for cannabis cultivation both pharmaceutical and textile. On the basis of the results, cannabis can be grown in Greece due to the weather conditions and, above all, sunshine, which is the main factor for the development of the plant.