Vota la cannabis! – Italy is preparing to vote on cannabis reform and possible legalization

The weed train is moving fast and more and more countries inside and outside Europe are joining the trend. Italians are not left behind. In the coming months, Italy could be added to the list of countries with full or partial reforms to decriminalize cannabis. The majority of registered voters have come to hold a pro-cannabis referendum. This referendum, if approved, would legalize the use, sale and possession of cannabis for medical and recreational consumption in Italy.

This initiative is Italy’s likely chance to reverse its archaic criminal laws. According to Sondaggi Bidimedia, an online pollster, at least 57% of residents are expected to support the initiative.

Medical cannabis was legalized for critical illnesses in 2013. Since then, the country has grown very large quantities of marijuana in pharmaceutical facilities. Interestingly, the government did not change the 2013 medical cannabis legislation or add further reforms.

Existing laws require that patients try all available conventional drugs before enrolling in the medical cannabis program. Conditions that can be treated with cannabis treatments include chronic pain, glaucoma, spinal cord injury, chemotherapy-induced symptoms (nausea and vomiting), multiple sclerosis, and anorexia.

Many eligible patients have experienced relief from the treatments prescribed; However, some could not afford the drugs due to their high cost and limited availability. To solve this problem, the government hired the army to set up cannabis farms in Florence to supply at least 100 kg of cannabis annually. The government has also given private sector operators the power to provide more supply. Bio Hanffarm is the first private company to be licensed to manufacture medical marijuana in order to increase supply.

There are currently several products available to medical patients in Italy, all of which are manufactured in specialized and licensed cannabis farms. The government has successfully made medicinal cannabis available to residents at affordable prices.

This referendum, organized by pro-cannabis parties and organizations, extended to the various regions of Italy until mid-2022. If she wanted to legalize the personal cultivation of cannabis by registered participants, the fines related to the personal use of cannabis as a recreational activity would also be waived.

At the time of writing, the document has been attached by over 600,000 registered voters in the country. This means that the minimum number of signatures required to pass a nationwide referendum has been met (at least 500,000 digital signatures are required within the duration to bring an initiative to a vote).

This process is similar to voter initiatives / actions to approve cannabis legislation during the US election. At least 18 states have implemented their cannabis reforms through this medium.

Unlike previous attempts to promote better and more progressive laws, this electoral initiative could bring Italy to the cusp of decriminalizing cannabis. The Pro-Cannabis Alliance is also working directly on a measure that would change the country’s fines for nonviolent and other minor cannabis offenses.

The success of this initiative is due to the digitization of the voting process a few weeks before the start of the campaign. In the past, both sides had to personally sign petitions; However, the introduction of a digitized system for this initiative showed that more people got involved and gave their signatures.

The measure won’t necessarily legalize marijuana per se and will amend some sections of the law that severely punish criminals. At least six million Italians have a habit of smoking cannabis for recreational use when it is legal, and around 49% of the adult population are in favor of using soft drugs. The Cannabis Legale referendum will make it easier for these people to stick to their habits without the massive fear of harsh penalties if caught.

Some of the main changes proposed by the initiative are:

• Reduction of severe penalties for minor offenses related to the manufacture and use of cannabis.

• Permission to grow up to four cannabis plants for personal use.

• Providing drug addicts with socially acceptable jobs that override the usual prison sentences.

• Increase in penalties for offenses against established medical and research agencies.

Italy’s cannabis reforms could ignite the fires beneath the European cannabis market. Looking at the blueprints submitted by the US for Canada’s cannabis reforms, Italy faces several economic upgrades in legalizing cannabis.

According to Piero David, a researcher with the National Research Council, Italy’s illegal leisure market is valued at around 8 billion euros, which means that criminal gangs dominate the scene and generate huge sums of money annually. With appropriate reforms, the government can reduce local and foreign criminal gangs in the industry. This means that the legal leisure industry could be worth around 14 billion euros at the first attempt. The government would also save more with fewer trials and jail terms.

Italy would also be able to take a large stake in the European cannabis stock market. Canada, for example, gained a stock market advantage in the global cannabis market in 2018 when it legalized adult cannabis. If Italy were the first European country to openly legalize the private use of recreational cannabis, it would have an advantage over the other European cannabis markets.

The referendum would create more jobs and open up the production niche for producers across the country. The new industry will create at least 30,000 new jobs, and that number is set to increase significantly in the years that follow legalization.

Italy’s economy and its people are on the up. Cannabis users and growers will finally have the freedom to take a deep breath and relax as they go about their business, grow weed, and use it. As mentioned earlier, this referendum will not fully legalize recreational consumption. Instead, it would minimize the crime and pave a way to stop the drug from being decriminalized. Within the next decade, prepare to see legal cannabis cafes and restaurants roaming the streets of Italy. Citizens just have to come out en masse to vote the referendum for the law.

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