The Italian Ministry of Health declined to take action under a decree that would have added certain CBD preparations into the table of medicines in its narcotics law, according to a recent notice in the country’s Official Gazette.
Sales in Italy of so-called “cannabis light” – low-THC and CBD-rich flowers derived from hemp – have been linked to a drop in purchases of different medications, indicating some patients chose to abandon prescription drugs in favor of self-medication with an unregulated CBD-based therapy.
The obituary for Italy’s thriving “cannabis light” industry – stemming from an apparently unfavorable court decision – was highly premature, local industry leaders told Marijuana Business Daily.
They noted the ruling surrounding low-THC cannabis was ambiguous and the full version is still unavailable.
In a move seen as more bluster than substance, an Italian official vowed to close all “cannabis light” shops in the country.
Italy signaled its intention to loosen the military’s grip on the cultivation of medical marijuana, significantly ramp up production and make MMJ “available in all pharmacies” across the country.
