Cannabis in Italy: A New Era?

Even Italy, which is often extremely conservative, could soon change its path and join the group of those nations where cannabis is, in some form or another, legal. Let’s make it clear, we are not talking about a Colorado-style legality. Still, something is moving. In fact, a group of 60 Italian parliamentarians has publicly announced its new mission: cannabis legalization. It is a mixed group of people who belong to different political parties, politicians who have decided to push for a new law after considering the current global and local momentum, and the fact that both scientific community and public opinion are quickly turning to support the use of medical cannabis. The group is also considering the annual report of the so-called Direzione Nazionale Antimafia (the group that manages all the major actions against the Italian Mafia), which clearly indicates the repressive efforts of the government are inadequate and that politicians should seriously consider legalization as a way to fight against illegal drug trafficking. According to the Direzione Nazionale Antimafia, legalization would hurt the Italian organized crime, who would lose a market that every year produces around 1, 5-3 millions kilos of cannabis. You can do the math: this is a huge business. As a matter of fact, we are talking about an average of 50 grams of pot per citizen, including grandmas, grandpas, mothers and children.

The market, in other words, already exists, it is just a matter of pushing it under the sun, away from the hands of the Italian mafiosi. Plus, repression is incredibly expensive, and it hasn’t produced the results every Italian would expect – considering the huge investments made by the Italian government. If this wasn’t enough, right now it’s quite impossible to qualitatively assess the market of hashish and marijuana in Italy, because the only points of reference the authorities have reside within the criminal institutions that manage the illegal traffic of narcotics. This means that the Italian pot users don’t even know if the marijuana they smoke is pure or dangerous.

These are only some of the reasons that pushed Italian doctors and activists to ask for cannabis legalization. At the moment, Matteo Renzi – the Italian prime minister – doesn’t seem to be interested in the conversation. But recent polls have indicated the Italian people are tired of both organized crime and political backwardness, and the examples of the United States could function as an important point of reference for the 60 courageous politicians who have decided to fight.

The Italians want to be able to buy good quality seeds (like those you can find here: http://greenhouseseeds.nl/) and experience the benefits that cannabis can bring to their daily life.

We will keep you posted.