When and where you can buy cannabis

WHEN AND WHERE YOU CAN BUY CANNABIS

When and where can you buy cannabis ? As soon as the topic of cannabis is mentioned, there's always the risk of a sharp and radical divide between those in favor and those against its legalization . It's much better, then, to start with the facts, or rather, with a fundamental fact: in Italy, the sale of cannabis light has been legal since 2016 , thanks to a law (number 242) that is fully in force.

LEGAL CANNABIS IN ITALY

A major shift in the sale of cannabis for therapeutic purposes occurred in September 2023, when a special law established that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis extract containing more than 80 chemicals known as cannabinoids, is a prescription-only medicine. This means that a prescription is required for all medications that pose risks of toxicity, acute intolerance, addiction, and abuse by the patient. Cannabidiol (CBD), like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), another substance found in cannabis, is sometimes used as an antiemetic and analgesic. However, THC in particular may be responsible for the "imbecilic" and psychedelic effects typical of cannabis. Returning to the 2016 law, the provisions set a crucial limit for the sale of cannabis- light in Italy. The limit is this: the sale is permitted for cannabis with a THC (the active ingredients that generate psychotropic effects) between 0,2% and 0,5%.

READ ALSO: Hemp oil, the properties of cannabis seeds. A perfect antioxidant.

CANNABIS ONLY IN PHARMACY

CANNABIS LIGHT LAW

When we talk about psychotropic effects, we're referring—and here we quote the Treccani Encyclopedia—to "substances that affect psychic functions." With what effects? The answer comes from the levels of cannabidiol (also known as CBD) contained in marijuana, which, let's remember, is a derivative of hemp. And CBD doesn't induce a "high," but rather has a natural anxiolytic effect . It relaxes. And it replaces other types of drugs, very common and widely available on the pill market, which are used specifically to control anxiety . With these premises and backed by a law, a legal cannabis industry has emerged in Italy, involving approximately 1.500 companies, starting with retail outlets and online.

Currently, the law allows the cultivation of Sativa hemp seeds for the production of textile fibers or industrial uses, but they must be certified and traceable. In the food sector, it clarifies which foods can be derived from hemp, highlighting the importance of THC levels. For marijuana to be considered legal or "light," these must be between 0,2% and 0,5%. Regarding sellers, the law states that "the trader cannot be punished under Article 73 of Presidential Decree 309/1990 if he or she can document the legal provenance of the inflorescences from legal crops, by virtue of the presumption of legality of the documentation (fiscal and transport) accompanying a legal product." Consumers, in turn, cannot be punished if they purchase and use traceable products with THC levels no higher than those considered legal.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THC AND CBD

The cannabis plant contains many cannabinoids, the main ones being THC and CBD. While THC, also called tetrahydrocannabinol, is responsible for the psychoactive effect of cannabis, CBD doesn't cause a high but has significant pharmacological effects. Extracted primarily from the flowers and leaves , CBD offers numerous benefits to our body, both physically and mentally. And unlike THC, it's legal. In fact, Italian law differentiates between the two active ingredients.

Here are some of the properties attributed to CBD :

• Anxiolytic properties;
• Analgesic properties;
• Antipsychotic properties;
• Relaxing properties;
• Antioxidant properties;
• Neuroprotective properties.

HOW MANY GRAMS ARE ALLOWED FOR PERSONAL USE?

To avoid criminal charges, in Italy you can possess a maximum of 500 mg of the active ingredient in the case of cannabis, marijuana, or hashish. However, drug possession is an administrative offense even when it cannot be considered a crime. However, if the product is traceable "light" cannabis with a legal THC concentration limit, the user cannot be punished. The law states:

A consumer found in possession of light cannabis cannot be punished under Article 75, since this is the position of a person who freely enjoys a legal good, with the 0,5% THC limit being the threshold below which cannabis does not have legally relevant psychotropic effects pursuant to Presidential Decree 309/1990.

READ MORE: Cannabidiol: What it is and its therapeutic properties

CANNABIS THERAPEUTIC USE

The sale of cannabis for therapeutic use is another matter . This type of cannabis has been legal in Italy since 2006. Furthermore, since 2016, thanks to a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense, the product has been manufactured at the military chemical-pharmaceutical plant in Florence . Containing THC 5%–8% and CBD 7,5%–12%, it is sold in pharmacies upon medical prescription. Since 2018, Cannabis FM-1 (THC 13,0–20,0% and CBD <1%) has also been available. This type of cannabis is prescribed for the treatment of chronic pain and pain associated with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and side effects caused by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and HIV treatments. It is also used to reduce involuntary body and facial movements in Tourette syndrome, and as an appetite stimulant in patients with eating disorders or AIDS.

YOU CAN GROW THE CANNABIS? 

Cultivation for personal use only is a crime if the plant contains THC. However, possession of hemp seeds or plants lacking the active ingredient is not a crime. Furthermore, it is permitted to cultivate Cannabis sativa, which is included in the list under Article 17 of EC Directive No. 53 of 2002. The percentage of the active ingredient THC in the inflorescences must be minimal, between 0,2% and 0,5% (with a tolerance of up to 0,6%).

LEGAL HEMP LAW

Returning to cannabis that is not intended for therapeutic use, once we've clarified what it is and how it works in Italy, it must be added that, as usual, we are very adept at navigating the shifting sands of uncertainty, of discourses that mix scientific insights with pure propaganda, of judicial decisions that, in rapid succession, come and go in opposite directions. To avoid all this, and the resulting waste , three essential things are needed. First: a law that is clearer where it is overly ambiguous . Second: a policy that is responsible on such delicate and sensitive issues affecting the daily lives of citizens, and that does not engage in propaganda, one way or another. Instead, it should always focus on keeping the general interests of the population at heart and on the principle, fundamental to good politics, of "knowing in order to decide." Third: a judiciary that, without invading its own territory, severely prosecutes anyone who , regardless of gender, violates the law in this matter and attempts to profit from public health. This, unfortunately, is not uncommon in Italy.