Adobe Express | A flock of sheep sought refuge from flooding and found themselves in a marijuana greenhouse.

A shepherd in Greece was recently surprised to find that his sheep were behaving oddly when he took them out to graze. He was even more surprised to find out why the sheep were behaving strangely: They had eaten nearly 600 pounds of marijuana.

As reported, the incident took place near the town of Almyros in Magnesia, which is part of the larger Thessaly region of Greece. In early September, Thessaly had been struck by the deadly Storm Daniel, which caused devastating floods throughout the region and killed some 110,000 animals, according to Greek City Times.

The flooding had also made it difficult for the sheep to find fresh grass to eat. The flock had been seeking food and shelter in the aftermath of the storm when they came across a greenhouse. It just so happened that this greenhouse cultivated medicinal marijuana, and so once the sheep "invaded," they began feasting on the cannabis leaves.

Soon after, the sheep's shepherd discovered his flock running around in a frenzy, shaking uncontrollably, and jumping to impressive heights not typical of sheep. The Jerusalem Post reports the shepherd took them to the vet and learned they were under the influence of marijuana.

For the greenhouse owner, however, the incident was just the latest in a series of unfortunate circumstances that have affected his harvest.

"I don't know if it's for laughing or crying," he told TheNewspaper.gr. "We had the heatwave, and we lost a lot of production. We had the floods, we lost almost everything. And now this The herd entered the greenhouse and ate what was left. I don't know what to say, honestly."

Cannabis has been legalized for medical purposes in Greece since 2017. The Greek government then lifted the ban on growing or producing cannabis in 2018. As of February 2022, cannabis use in the Greek capital of Athens was among the highest in all of Europe.

In early 2023, Greece inaugurated its first-ever medicinal cannabis production plant, and the industry has shown to be a major boon to farmers who were struggling economically.

According to the Greek Reporter, the investment was made by Tikun Europe, a subsidiary of Israel-based Tikun Olam.

"A new era is beginning for our country with the operation of our Tikun Europe facility, paving the way for Greece to become one of the main players in the field of production and export of medical cannabis products," said Tikun Europe's CEO Nikos Beis.

The Greek government clearly saw a benefit to opening the large factory, reportedly with the hopes that production would add up to $1.67 billion annually to state revenue.

"The goal is for Greece to become the top European country in the production of medical cannabis. Greece's environment is friendly for this particular plant and we think we will have a natural advantage," said Greek Development & Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis.

The Greek government is also allowing foreigners to use medical cannabis in Greece, and to purchase it through pharmacies with "the only condition [being] that they must have a prescription from their doctor."

The use of cannabis for recreational purposes, however, is still prohibited in Greece.


Tikun Europe | Tikun Europe's medical cannabis plant in Greece.

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