‘Grotesque Crackdown’ On Hemp In Italy Puts 11K Jobs At Risk, Experts Cite EU Law Violations
Italian lawmakers are proceeding with the fight against all forms of hemp. On July 31, the joint Constitutional Affairs and Justice committees of the Chamber voted to add an amendment prohibiting cannabis flowers of all types to the Security Bill. If the amendment passes into law, it would classify all cannabis and hemp flowers as narcotics regardless of THC content, writes Business of Cannabis.
The proposal was first introduced in June, aiming to ban hemp flowers from “import, processing, possession, transfer, distribution, trade, transport, dispatch, delivery, sale to the public and for consumption, even in semi-finished, dried or shredded form.” This would effectively ban the entire flower head of a plant, including stems, stalks and flowers.
At the time, the leading trade group Federcanapa called the proposal a “grotesque crackdown.” Now, the effort is moving forward.
In addition to industry experts, the bill is also facing strong opposition from the center-left, writes Corriere, according to the translation.
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