Italian Court Rules Hemp Flowers, Leaves are Not Narcotics

A ruling issued by an Italian court earlier this month is a major blow to the country’s hemp and CBD industry.

decision A ruling handed down by the Lazio Regional Administrative Court on 14 February overturned what the commission considered a “ridiculously restrictive” ruling. [that] Cannabis leaves and flowers were considered narcotics in the eyes of regulators. “

In short, the decision “means that Italian law no longer violates the 2020 Kanavape judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).”

in that judgmentthe Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that “CBD is not a narcotic, Member States cannot restrict the free movement of CBD products, and that CBD can be extracted from the hemp flower.”

The decision of the Lazio Administrative Court earlier this month also means that Italy’s CBD and hemp industries, which led the court’s challenge, can now operate more freely without fear of regulatory intervention.

business can lots of background Regarding the lawsuit that led to the 14 February judgment by the Lazio Court:

“In May 2022, four grassroots cannabis industry associations – Canapa Sativa Italia, Sardinia Cannabis, Resilienza Italia Onlus and Federcanapa – filed an appeal against the ministerial decree issued in January 2022. has amended the previous decree from 2018 on cultivation: harvesting and processing of medicinal plants.In effect, the 2022 amendments allow the cultivation, processing and marketing of “non-narcotic” hemp flowers and leaves. It was aimed at getting back under the drug umbrella.

Although decriminalized, recreational cannabis remains illegal in Italy.

Last year’s efforts to legalize recreational cannabis in Italy came after the country’s constitutional court “rejected a request to hold a referendum to legalize the cultivation of cannabis, calling the decision a blow to democracy.” was blocked on legal grounds when it provoked the outrage of according to Reuters.

The proposed referendum “aims to legalize the cultivation of weed for personal use and ease sanctions for other cannabis-related crimes, with offenders facing prison terms for selling small amounts of the drug.” I no longer run the risk of being sentenced to Reuters reported at the time, “The referendum included other drugs that are considered hard drugs that cannot be liberalized,” the judge said.

However, medical cannabis is legal in Italy and its production is the exclusive domain of the Italian military.

The Italian military, as chief supervisor of cultivation, has been mandated to grow 700 kilograms (just over 1,500 pounds) of medical marijuana this year.

Medical cannabis not grown in the country by the Italian military is usually imported from other European countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

The increase in cannabis production by the Army aims to make Italy’s medical marijuana program more self-sufficient.

“The next step is self-sufficiency. That is our ambition,” said Nicola Latorre, who heads the Italian agency that oversees the cannabis business. defense news last month.

But a ruling earlier this month by the Lazio Regional Administrative Court could also affect that arrangement.

A cannabis industry representative said business can The Italian Ministry of Health has suggested it is taking a more aggressive stance on importing cannabis-based products.Demand could break soon. “