Drug-related data, and especially cannabis-related data, including information on illicit cannabis markets and use, were among the topics discussed at the meeting held on 23 June 2026 between the National Cannabis Control Agency and a delegation of experts from the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).
The visit was organised at the margins of the EUDA mission to Albania, which was undertaken in the framework of the IPA project and focused on the assessment of the recently established National Drug Observatory and National Early Warning System in Albania.
The Director General of the Agency met with Mr. Frédéric Denecker, IPA Project Coordinator and Head of the EUDA delegation; Ms. Ivy van der Werf, Scientific Analyst for Security; and Mr. Daniel Simões, Focal Point Assessment Analyst.
At the beginning of the meeting, the EUDA explained that its mandate does not include the regulation, monitoring or oversight of to legally cultivated cannabis whether that is for medical, industrial or recreational use. The only statistical data that the EUDA collects from EU member states and beyond focuses solely on the illicit cannabis market and cannabis use among general population.
Discussions focused on the EUDA established procedures to collect, analyse and report within national monitoring systems and European-wide data regarding illicitly cultivated cannabis and how the EUDA supports the Albanian national authorities in aligning their data collection processes regarding illicit drugs with the European standards, in order to ensure overall comparability.
The EUDA brings extensive experience in this field. Among other methods, the European agency has managed the European Web Survey on Drugs, an online survey collecting data directly from substance users across numerous countries that collects anonymous data directly from people who use drugs, while ensuring full anonymity. These results are combined with other sources, such as general population surveys and specific school surveys, as to provide a more complete and reliable overview of the prevalence and patterns of drug use.
This meeting was not the first point of contact between the two institutions. In May 2025, representatives of the Agency had visited EUDA’s offices in Lisbon.
The Agency updated the EUDA on their progress, with the national legal framework completed and a strong focus on establishing the National Registry and the Traceability System — two databases that will enable real-time reporting.
The Agency highlighted to the EUDA that European Member States’ regarding cannabis policy context is evolving, as some Member States are now moving towards new regulatory approaches. For example, Malta, Luxembourg, and Germany have already introduced licensing frameworks for recreational use, while the Czech Republic joined this group in January of this year.
At the same time, the Agency presented to the EUDA how the cannabis industry is expanding beyond medical applications into sectors such as food and cosmetics.
Although not within the remit or mandate of the EUDA, for the Agency, the cooperation with EUDA is not simply access to European expertise; it represents an opportunity to build upon systems that are already successfully implemented across Europe and to ensure that, when Albania addresses medical and industrial cannabis, it does so based on reliable, consistent, and sustainable data.
