The Italian cannabis industry continues to grow

In order to stimulate the production of industrial cannabis, Italy removed the need for authorization to grow certified cannabis with levels below 0.2. Cultivation with minimal levels of psychoactive compounds has several commercial applications including food, fabric, clothing, construction materials, and animal food. In Italy, certified cannabis plants can be used for industrial purposes.

The Italian cannabis industry increased tenfold within five years from 400 hectares in 2013 to almost 4,000 hectares estimated in 2018.

Fields are cultivated with cannabis in the countryside of Italy, including Sicily and Sardinia.

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Cannabis rules in Italy

A potential turnover for cultivation and sale of cannabis plants is estimated at over $44 million (€40 million) with a significant employment impact. These are Coldiretti’s estimates in a report illustrating the Italian cannabis industry.

Light cannabis is marketable in Italy, but there are several limitations at the moment, intervened with the ruling of the Court of Cassation, which banned the sale of oil, resin, and inflorescence derived from hemp.

What remains regular are “food, cosmetics, semi-finished products such as fiber,” and also “fuels for industrial use.”

The ruling, however, did not sanction the final closure of the light cannabis shops. However, the amendment in the Senate puts the Italian cannabis industry at risk.

In the text blocked by Senate President Elisabetta Casellati, the regulation of cannabis in “dried, fresh, chopped or pelletized form for industrial, commercial and energy purposes” was foreseen. There was also a taxation of $0.55 (€0.5) per gram on the finished product.

The Italian cannabis industry has an estimated 4,000 hectares

According to Coldiretti, this is an industry that hides a strong business. There are hundreds of farms that have invested in the Italian cannabis industry.

In addition, it turns out that the land cultivated with hemp in Italy within five years has increased tenfold from 400 hectares in 2013 to almost 4,000 estimated for 2018, in the countryside from Puglia to Piedmont, from Veneto to Basilicata, but also in Lombardy, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Sicily, and Sardinia.

There are many variations of hemp, from biscuits to hemp bread, from hemp flour to oil, but there are also those who use hemp to produce ricotta, tofu, and a tasty vegan drink, as well as beer.

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(Featured image by Tama66 via Pixabay)

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First published in Il Sole 24 Ore, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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