One Step Forward, One Step Back: Panama Regulates Cannabis, Italy Bans It
In the span of a single week, two countries issued sweeping cannabis decrees, one opening a cautious path forward, the other slamming the door shut. Panama clarified its medical cannabis law with updated regulations, expanding access under strict conditions. Italy, meanwhile, stunned its own industry by banning the sale, possession and production of all hemp flowers, including CBD, through an emergency decree.
The contrast between the two reveals a widening global divide on cannabis policy between regulated progress and reactive prohibition, between evidence-based reform and political impulse.
Panama: Regulating Cannabis With Guardrails
On April 4, Panama published Decree No. 6 in its official gazette, refining the country’s framework for the therapeutic use of cannabis. The regulation replaces a 2022 decree and aims to clarify the implementation of Law 242, which legalized medical cannabis in 2021. As El Planteo reported, the new rules address everything from physician prescribing rights to where cannabis can be consumed.
Patients may now obtain prescriptions from any licensed physician, mirroring the prescription model used for opioids. The law also outlines limitations: no use in public or workplaces (unless approved), a ban on use by people in high-risk professions and a prohibition on mixing cannabis with alcohol or other substances.
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