Italian Growers Ask the European Parliament Not to Ban Hemp
Italian Growers Ask the European Parliament Not to Ban Hemp
Hemp growers and associations are calling on the European Parliament to suspend the measures that classify CBD as a narcotic and prohibit the cultivation and trade of hemp in Italy.
Until now, Italy was one of the main producers of wellness hemp in Europe. Around 15,000 people work in the sector, which generates a turnover of 500 million euros per year. However, the new measures of the Meloni government could classify CBD as a narcotic. We are very far from the legalisation of recreational cannabis envisaged a few years ago in Italy.
At the head of state, the President of the Council of Ministers Georgia Meloni is waging war against cannabis. At the end of May, the government presented an amendment to the draft law on security. It aims to give a more restrictive interpretation of the 2016 law. In early August, the amendment was adopted by the parliamentary committees of Constitutional Affairs and Justice of the House. If the amendment is definitively adopted by the House and the Senate, the light cannabis sector could simply disappear.
What Are Italian Hemp Farmers Doing?
In early July, the Italian government tried to specifically ban CBD oil with a decree that was finally suspended by the Administrative Court of Lazio.Italian farmers oppose the measures that threaten the survival of the industrial and wellness hemp production chain. The Canapa Sativa Italia association, which brings together 240 companies in the sector, and the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) as well as farmers' defense organisations have presented a petition to the European Parliament. The signatories denounce the non-compliance with European Union rules that allow the free movement of goods. The petition calls for the cancellation of the new measures that prohibit the production and sale of hemp flowers and classify CBD as a narcotic.
The European Parliament's Committee on Petitions will have to decide whether the petition is admissible. The associations could take the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which, in 2020, permitted France to sell light cannabis in the form of flowers. The Italians could therefore obtain a favorable decision.
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Liz Filmer
