Italy classifies hemp flowers as a medicinal plant

A by-law A report by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies published in August classified hemp flowers intended for extraction as (« hemp inflorescence for extraction purposes«...) among medicinal plants.”.

What are the implications for the Italian hemp market?

According to Giacomo Bulleri, a lawyer on the board of directors of the Italian hemp association Federcanapa, says the consequences for the Italian hemp sector are significant.

On the one hand, the inclusion of hemp flowers on the list of medicinal plants suggests that the plant is on the verge of being recognized as an agricultural product.

Furthermore, the decree protects the work of hemp farmers who cultivate hemp flowers, which cannot be considered a narcotic if they are grown for extraction purposes. Hemp can thus be cultivated and processed not only for industrial, food, or cosmetic purposes, but also as a medicinal plant.

Culture, the harvest Furthermore, the initial processing of medicinal plants is considered an agricultural activity. Farmers will be able to both grow hemp and carry out—either on their own farms or by selling their plants to third parties—the initial stages of processing hemp inflorescences (defoliation, sorting, grading, hulling, drying, cutting and sorting, extraction of essential oils, etc.) intended for extraction.

Thus, while the inflorescences of industrial hemp «for extractive purposes» are a medicinal plant, they fall outside the scope of narcotics regulations. In practical terms, the decree will make it possible to obtain extracts, dyes but also essential oils and terpenes, derived from industrial hemp inflorescences in accordance with Italian regulations governing the medicinal and herbal plant sector.