How drugs could boost tourism in Greece

Cannabis. A word whose roots can be traced back to the ancient Greek kánnabis. And a plant whose usage shares a similarly storied history. Greeks have used cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes since ancient times, with usage continuing up until a decline after the Second World War.

Now, the Western world is budging up to cannabis amidst a high tide of planned or already implemented drug law liberalizations. If Greece wants to stay competitive as a tourist destination, it should devolve its drug laws to locals. Otherwise, it risks falling behind the times.

Greece has already made some progress with cannabis law reforms. In 2017, the government legalized the consumption of medicinal cannabis, keen not to miss out on the economic benefits of a European cannabis market projected to grow as large as $37 billion by 2027.¹

One big motivator is that cannabis grows naturally in Greece and can grow² outside without the need for expensive greenhouses. It makes sense to use all of Greece’s natural resources, sunlight included.

Despite this progress, Greece has stopped short of legalizing recreational use. Although Athens has one of the highest cannabis usage rates in Europe, the government doesn’t seem intent on legalizing it. In fact, most parties seem to be shying away from the issue, despite growing domestic and international support for legalization.

Germany makes up the largest share of international arrivals to Greece and already has plans in place to legalize and regulate their domestic cannabis market.³ And while Germans spend the most per visit in Greece, American tourists spend the most per night and also have incredibly relaxed cannabis laws, especially in wealthy, liberal states.⁴

If we then look at Greece’s competition as a tourist destination, Malta became the first country in the EU to legalize recreational cannabis, Portugal is famous for its drug decriminalization, and Spain has decriminalized cannabis at a national level, with many of its devolved authorities having legalized recreational usage in private spaces as well.

It’s increasingly likely that without change, Greece’s share of the tourism market will suffer as a result of its stringent drug laws. Tourists from countries with more liberal drug laws won’t want to compromise on their comforts and habits when traveling abroad and will simply choose a more attractive destination, like Malta, Portugal, or Spain.

At the other end of the scale, a large part of the culturally conservative Greek populace isn’t ready for such progressive change. However, there’s a middle ground that brings the best of both worlds: devolving that decision to local regions.

There’s a saying in Greek tourism: if you can describe your dream holiday, Greece has an island that can make it a reality. Whether you want a big family trip, a wild lads’ holiday, or a digital detox, there’s a destination for that. The problem is that a family-friendly holiday doesn’t always mesh with a liberal kids-free getaway or a party island experience.

Greece has already recognized this and specialized its islands accordingly. Go to Zakynthos (Zante), Ios, or Paros if you fancy a wild time. Go to Skiathos, Skopelos, or Ithaca for a quieter adventure. Go to Naxos, Milos, or Rhodes for an unforgettable family trip.

Greece has realized it can cater to everyone’s needs without devaluing any individual experience. Not all islands fit this model. Some, like Crete, are large enough to accommodate multiple different types of tourists and have found ways to keep those experiences distinct and separate and would be able to do the same with cannabis legalization. So, if our islands can specialize and have the best of both worlds, why can't our drug policy?

Why couldn’t we devolve our drug laws so that the liberal islands could choose to loosen their own rules, while the conservative islands could choose not to? Importantly, by leaving this as a choice for the locals to make, politicians would be able to score the political points from progressive voters while dodging criticism from those more conservatively minded.

Greece is split into 13 regions, which are in turn split into 74 regional units, which are themselves split into 332 municipalities. The details of what level this all plays out at have to be ironed out, but one certainty is intense regional power politics. All that fighting will be fuel to the fire driving this change. Regional governors and mayors jostling for control will bring this issue front and center in Greek politics, making an idea a political reality.

This move would come alongside an existing change of tack within the Greek tourism industry to increase guest stay durations and the arriving tourist quality. Millennials and Gen X visitors staying for a week bring in a lot more revenue than cash-strapped students here for a weekend. This change would do exactly that.

Even though cannabis usage rates are slightly higher in the 18-25 demographic, there are far more cannabis users in the 26-49 age group. Gen Z only makes up a minority of cannabis usage. Therefore, these moves would actually attract more middle-aged, wealthier demographics to the country.

Plus, once here, visitors will stay longer. Most people leave after a week because they miss their creature comforts. By letting them keep their usual habits, they will be inclined to stay an extra few days.

While starting on the islands would be easier logistically, if successful, these drug votes could be rolled out beyond the islands to the mainland regions and cities. Eventually, if sufficiently targeted, this could even undermine the illegal drug trade that fuels a core part of organized crime and corruption within Greece.

At the end of the day, this really seems like a no-brainer. As long as the optics of such a transition were carefully managed (something that Greece’s tourism and marketing industry would be more than capable of), there is little opportunity for negative consequences.

And the positive consequences go on and on. Growing the economy, beating out tourism competition from the rest of the Med, winning votes, and reducing crime and corruption. Greece is finally recovering from its economic and political woes. It should ensure the high lasts.

This article was written by Alex Petropoulos. Alex is a fellow with Young Voices Europe based between the UK and Greece.