Italy: Prime Minister intends to «find a solution for cannabis»

After the emotional roller coaster in Italy, which had «Legalized» "light" cannabis containing 0.5% of THC, decision which was then blocked in the Senate, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte clarified the government's position during a press conference, addressing the two hot-button issues of the moment in Italy regarding cannabis.

In response to an open-ended question, he clarified that the recent ruling of the Court of Cassation «The issue of cannabis »is neither a law nor a bill, so the government has every right and responsibility to address this matter.'".

The Prime Minister is referring here to the decision by the Italian Court of Cassation, which ruled that growing cannabis at home for personal use is not illegal. Home cultivation is not currently legal, but in the event of legal proceedings, judges have a strong point of reference: an acquittal at the highest level of the judicial system for the cultivation of cannabis for personal use.

Giuseppe Conte continues to address the issue of "light cannabis" and promises a resolution soon.

«There was an amendment in the [Finance Act] that was somewhat misunderstood, as it was interpreted as the legalization of soft drugs, but that wasn’t the issue. We’re talking about a few thousand businesses and more than ten thousand farmers involved in this sector; we’re talking about very small doses, so we’re not talking about drugs.»

«This is a topic we can revisit; it’s likely that this amendment—beyond its initial publicity value—has not been sufficiently studied and has elicited surprised reactions even among the majority. We’ll revisit this to give it some thought; I hope there will be a calm and measured discussion in which we can evaluate all the pros and cons—not only the economic impacts but also the cultural ones—and together, we’ll find a solution.».

A recent study estimated The number of people who grow their own cannabis in Italy is 100,000. As for "cannabis light," the industry includes about 3,000 companies and 10,000 employees.