‘ Cannabis light ’
So-called ‘ cannabis light ’ is already legal to buy and sell and is widely available throughout Italy .
A loophole in the country ’ s hemp laws permits retailers to sell cannabis flower containing 0.6 percent THC or less – 0.4 percent higher than the EU ’ s threshold for industrial hemp plants .
10 years in prison if convicted of an offence . Campaigners on the ReferendumCannabit . it Facebook page lamented the ‘ paradox ’ of blaming organised crime for the nation ’ s cannabis use .
The group also argued that legalising would generate tax revenue and thousands of jobs .
They wrote : “ Legalizing does not mean promoting consumption but making it safer and more informed .
“ If cannabis were legal , it would put an end to unnecessary trials for small amounts of the drug and ensure that patients who use it to relieve their excruciating pain will never have to face a court again .”
Some 57 percent of Italian voters are expected to back the law change , according to pollster Sondaggi Bidimedia .
The recent proposal suggests that it will be young people who lead the charge .
This is a similar distinction that permits US companies to sell cannabis flower containing no more than 0.3 percent THC under the 2018 Farm Bill .
In September 2018 , Interior Minister and Northern League party leader Matteo Salvini issued a memo calling for police to enforce a zero-tolerance approach to sales of cannabis light .
However , the Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2019 that permitted sales of cannabis products “ devoid of any doping or psychotropic effect .”
Italy may be pipped to the post by Luxembourg in becoming the first EU country to de-facto legalise cannabis .
The tiny nation was due to introduce legislation towards the end of this year but the pandemic scuppered its plans .
On announcing the plans in 2018 , Health Minister , Etienne Schneider , said : “ This drug policy we had over the last 50 years did not work .”
“ Forbidding everything made it just more interesting to young people .”
According to Antonella Soldo of the association Meglio Legale (‘ Better Legal ’), almost half of those who signed the proposal were 24 or younger .
Under Italy ’ s popular referendum system , a ‘ yes ’ vote would delete the nation ’ s cannabis laws rather than replacing them with a regulated alternative . This has led to news of the vote being referred to as legalisation by some media outlets and decriminalisation by others .
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