Italian citizens can legally grow cannabis in their homes for personal use! That's the ruling from a court in Rome - as long as people don't overdo it and keep their crops at the level of "personal consumption" then they can't be prosecuted in court
As internationalhighlife reads, the ruling came as early as December 19 after the owner of two cannabis plants asked the Supreme Court to overturn the conviction, but it went unnoticed until national news agencies reported on the case. Lawmakers who are positive toward the legalization of marijuana in Italy immediately welcomed the request, saying in the process that it paves the way for possible legalization.
"The court has opened the way, now it's up to us,"
- Matteo Mantero, a senator from the co-ruling 5-Star Movement, said.
Renewed discussions on legalization in Italy
Mantero had already tried to pass an amendment to Italy's 2020 budget, Calling for the legalization and regulation of cannabis laws. Unfortunately, the amendment was deemed unacceptable by Senator Maurizio Gasparri, who is part of Silvio Berlusconi's conservative Forza Italia party.
"Drugs cause harm, forget about growing them or buying them in stores," he
- Matteo Salvini, leader of the League's right-wing party, said on Friday.
In turn, the aforementioned senator from Forza Italia, allied with the League party, announced that if he comes to power, he will cancel the absurd court ruling.
Still, the legal situation regarding cannabis in Italy is more than complicated, and the recent ruling definitely does not make it any clearer. As of 2016, Italians could legally use so-called "cannabis light," known in Poland as dried CBD, which contains mostly cannabidiol and less than 0.6% THC (per Italian law).
Salvini, who was Interior Minister at the time, tried to shut down all legal cannabis stores, saying his party would "do everything in our power to prevent the state from becoming a drug trafficker."
At least for the moment, if you live in Italy and enjoy growing cannabis for personal use, you can feel safe.
