European Commission Launches Investigation Into Italy’s Ban On ‘Cannabis Light’
In recent years, cannabis and hemp-derived products that are high in cannabidiol (CBD) and low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), often referred to as ‘cannabis light,’ have increased in availability and popularity across Europe, including in Italy.
Lawmakers in Italy recently approved measures that seek to prohibit such products from being bought and sold within Italy’s borders. The European Commission has launched an investigation to determine if the measures, and others that are being considered, violate European Union (EU) law.
“The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is proposing a two-part strategy to eliminate legal hemp flowers in the EU, which contain cannabinoids such as CBD.” stated Newsweed in its local coverage.
“The current controversy stems from an amendment to the 2023 Security Law that would impose a complete ban on the sale of hemp flowers. This amendment was passed by the Italian Chamber of Deputies in September 2024 and must now be considered by the Italian Senate.” the outlet also stated.
Cannabis advocates and members of Italy’s emerging cannabis industry argue that what is being pursued in Italy violates EU law. The Court of Justice of the European Union previously ruled in 2021 that hemp extracts and flowers should not be classified as narcotics.
Canapa Sativa Italia, an Italian hemp industry trade organization, filed a formal complaint with the European Commission claiming that Italy’s actions violate the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and impede fair competition within the European Union market.
As we previously reported, a decree was issued in 2020 to classify CBD as a narcotic in Italy, but shortly after it was issued, the decree was temporarily suspended. That temporary suspension was then lifted via yet another decree in 2023, just to also be temporarily suspended.
Prior to the decrees and other measures recently pursued by Italy’s government, much of Italy’s public cannabis policies were shaped by legal decisions. In late 2019, Italy’s Supreme Court ruled that laws against ‘small-scale domestic cultivation of cannabis’ were unconstitutional, providing some level of legal protection for consumers and patients.
In 2021, cannabis activists in Italy successfully collected hundreds of thousands of signatures to place a cannabis referendum measure on the ballot for voters to decide. However, in 2022 the nation’s Supreme Court deemed the measure’s language to be unconstitutional.