Italy to open medical cannabis production to the private sector

While Italy has recently expanded its program As medical cannabis is being used to treat more conditions—and thus more patients—its production system is already overwhelmed by the sheer volume of demand. To address this situation, Health Minister Giulia Grillo, has just announced that it planned to increase the production of medical cannabis and mentioned a partnership with private producers to that end.

The current system

Medical cannabis has been legal in Italy since 2013, but the production monopoly is held by the’the army that cultivates the plant at the Military Institute of Chemistry and Pharmacy in Florence. However, this production method is unable to meet the population’s growing demand for medical cannabis. To obtain it, patients can also import it from abroad, a costly solution that is inaccessible to the vast majority of them. Yet access to healthcare for all is a constitutional right in Italy.

The Minister of Health appears to have acknowledged that the current situation was unsustainable for patients, and following a visit to the Institute yesterday, she admitted that military production was insufficient. She therefore announced her intention to increase Italy’s medical cannabis production capacity.

The Potential System

With this in mind, the Italian government will consider the possibility of granting licenses to private companies through a public-private partnership between the government and producers. The minister did not elaborate on the details of a potential production market, and it is unclear what role Italian companies will play in this area: will they compete with foreign companies, or will they benefit from a national advantage?

If foreign companies are on an equal footing in the Italian market, potential Italian producers will not be able to withstand competition from countries that export medical cannabis, such as Canada where private companies are already worth more than a billion dollars and are looking to export their products, riding the wave of progressive cannabis policies.

On the other hand, if Italian production expands, Italy may join Canada, Uruguay, Australia, the Netherlands, and Israel—all of which are already firmly established in the international medical cannabis export market. It appears that the minister is considering this possibility: «Increased production is important because it could meet other demands—not only domestic but also international.».

She also posted on his Facebook, after meeting with the Medical Cannabis Patients« Committee, she stated that she would make every effort necessary »to make medical cannabis available in pharmacies to ensure the continuity of treatments.”.

According to the minister, these new arrangements will take effect soon: «It will take time to organize, of course, but given that this is a matter of great importance to both the Department of Defense and the Department of Health, every effort will be made to implement it as quickly as possible.».