Italy's beleaguered cannabis industry united yesterday to protest the government's impending move to ban all cannabis substances.
In a positive development this morning, news broke that, as a result of legal efforts in the Lazio TAR (Tribunale Amministrativo Regionale), the court succeeded in blocking the decree classifying CBD oil as a narcotic substance.
However, the broader hemp industry remains under threat, with a number of events taking place across Italy this week, including an industry protest in front of the Brindisi provincial government building and a gathering of key industry voices in the Chamber of Deputies. This includes press conferences, etc.
These joint efforts took place on the eve of the first debate in Parliament on the controversial amendments to the Italian Security Bill.
what happened?
A public hearing on the legal challenge to the controversial bill filed by Canapa Sativa Italia together with Giantec Srl and Società Biochimica Galloppa Srl in August was held yesterday at the TAR in Lashio.
The complaint specifically cited another effort to classify “oral preparations” of CBD as narcotics rather than as narcotics.
The suit challenged the lack of scientific evidence presented by the government for such blatant restrictions on the production, handling, and distribution of hemp products.
As Business of Cannabis reported last February, the court had already rejected a similar decision, stating that “Even from the standpoint of the precautionary principle, no evidence of the need for protection of the right to health is available from the defendant government.'' It is not provided.” However, it merely cited such principles and did not provide any concrete data or scientific elements regarding the case at hand.
Since the decision, the government has provided “up-to-date evidence” purportedly supporting its efforts to ban cannabis.
In a major victory for the industry, the court reportedly re-blocked the ruling, recognizing the potential for significant social, economic and legal harm to the industry.
Among other expert testimony from various experts, the court heard from Professor Scialella, former head of forensic medicine at the University of La Sapienza, who found that CBD does not cause intoxication due to its psychoactive effects, impairing its classification as a narcotic drug. has been proven.
For now, this decision is only temporary, pending a full judicial review.
press conference
Italy's cannabis industry, along with a number of agricultural organizations, held a press conference in parliament on September 10, threatening that the bill would destroy the country's industrial hemp, CBD, and “cannabis light” industries.
This comes after Meloni's government, which has repeatedly attempted to crack down on the sector, proposed amendments in June for all “measures relating to cannabis inflorescences and products derived from them”.
The amendments were successfully pushed back by industry several weeks later, after the government raised concerns that they were “not based on any forensic evidence” and in breach of EU law. It was reintroduced and new provisions were added to the security bill.
The newly amended bill would also include the import, processing, possession and sale of cannabis “inflorescences” (the entire flower head of the plant, including stems, stalks and flowers) into the Consolidated Narcotic Substances Act.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Dentini told Business of Cannabis:
“We understand that there is a risk that Italians will be the first and only to stop the sale of CBD flower, which is fully accepted within the EU. It means that the 10,000 operators of Italy's cannabis industry, which led to the creation of the market, face the risk of being blocked, at least until their appeal to European courts is successful.
“It would be truly unrealistic if it were not for the lives of thousands of brave entrepreneurs, who would once again be forced to seek the protection of European jurisdiction and demand to return to work in peace. ”
During the press conference, representatives of major hemp and agricultural organizations such as Canapa Sativa Italia, Federcanapa, Copagri and CIA-Agricoltori Italiani (Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori) made a final effort to urge the government to vote against the bill. .
Each group gave impassioned speeches, and Copagri President Tommaso Batista said, “The purely ideological intervention in cannabis envisaged in the so-called 'Security Bill' is revolutionary and fast-growing.'' “There is a risk of irreversible amputation of the field…”
Mattia Cusani of Canapa Sativa Italia agreed, adding: The entire industrial hemp sector is at stake here, so the challenge is to overcome ideological bias against this crop. ”
trade union protest
At the same time, a protest organized by the Italian Confederation of Labor (CGIL), Italy's oldest trade union with more than 5 million members, took place in front of Brindisi's provincial government building.
The protesters, who included representatives of political parties such as Piu Europe, PD, M5S and Alianza Verdi e Sinistra, said: “We are not illegal, we are about jobs, the environment, agriculture, innovation and research. ” slogan.
CGIL's general secretary Antonio Macchia said the security bill not only risks exposing Italy to EU sanctions, saying it “ignores the law of the European Court of Justice”, but also has “very serious consequences” for agricultural and commercial cannabis. He said it would cause “damage.” It is causing “devastating economic and legal consequences” for the sector.
