Last Updated On March 3rd, 2023: Italy has a population of over 60 million people! Of that magnificent population, there is a significant amount of people who have reported using marijuana. Although there are so many cannabis users, cannabis is not legal right now. This may be the case, but medical cannabis is available and so is cannabis light. We will go deeper into that later in the article.
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- Seedsman Seed Bank: [Read Our Seedsman Review] – Huge selection of seeds, fast and discrete shipping!
- Crop King Seeds: [Read Our Crop King Seeds Review] – Highly trusted Canadian brand with discrete worldwide shipping, many payment methods including PayPal.
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Despite holding one of the oldest cities in the world, over 2,000 years old, Italy is quite progressive. Italy has legalized and evolved as time has pushed on, so the full legalization of marijuana shouldn’t be any different! Italy lives up to its name, “Bel Paese,” which translates to “beautiful country.”
History of Cannabis in Italy
Marijuana has been used since just about the beginning of time. It’s guessed that the first people to use marijuana did so in Asia during 500 BC. Those people would have most likely been using the plant as a herbal medicine rather than a way to get high. The gorgeous plant that we call marijuana first came from Central Asia where it was cultivated and used medicinally. So, that leads us to cannabis in Italy.
Cannabis begins to be used in Italy around the time of the Romans. It’s even said that cannabis was grown since the 1st century CE. Not many histories include the use of cannabis, but since the Romans documented their history very well, we have seen the use of cannabis in Pedanius Dioscorides’ 5 volume pharmacopeia, “De Materia Medica.”
Another Ancient Roman named Galen, who was a surgeon, wrote about how the buds of hemp were passed around at social gatherings to lighten the mood and full the room with laughter! Even the great Ovid wrote about Glaucus, the man who ate green palm-shaped herbs that made him hungry and super happy.
For all of that time, cannabis was grown for building material, medicine, fabric, and also for people’s enjoyment for quite a while. The fact that Italy has been cultivating cannabis since nearly the beginning of time is truly amazing. As times changed, Italy never stopped producing cannabis.
By the year of 1940, Italy was one of the largest producers of hemp in the world. It would be naive and ignorant to say that marijuana just popped up out of nowhere in Italy. Marijuana has made its mark on Italian history. Italy’s history of cannabis consumption is kind of hushed up.
Even though Italy was once a big producer of hemp, it was cut short by the invention of synthetic fibers. Due to outside attitudes and the invention of synthetic fibers, the attitude surrounding cannabis agriculture in Italy became negative. Italy began to jump onto all of the anti-drug campaigns of the 1950s through the 1980s. These negative attitudes toward cannabis continued through many social stages until the beginning of the 2000s.
The beginning of the 2000s brought Italy into a type of cannabis acceptance era. This era has brought so much change from a once negative culture towards cannabis. Doctors were providing the benefits of cannabis use and they also remembered the glory days when they grew copious amounts of cannabis for industrial reasons. The 2000s have brought Italy into a new stage of their marijuana history.
Understanding Italy’s history with cannabis is vital to change the current culture to become more accepting of cannabis. Thus, it is important to know the history.
Cannabis Laws and Regulations In Italy 2023
Sadly, it is illegal to have possession of cannabis in Italy, but the citizens generally accept the use of marijuana. It is illegal to have cannabis if you have not been prescribed medically. Technically, it is not illegal to consume cannabis, but it is illegal to possess it.
In 2014, Law 79, made cannabis as a less dangerous drug. This amazing legislation led to people getting fewer punishments for possessing marijuana. Law 79 lowered the criminal classification of personal usage of cannabis
By 2016 the law changed, even more, now farmers were permitted to grow hemp. The legalization of hemp agriculture led to the farmers selling “cannabis light” in their shops. Despite this progressive law, the law does not permit the consumption of “cannabis light” in any form. This may seem confusing, but cannabis light is closer to what we’d call hemp, it’s cannabis with low levels of THC, so the legislation that surrounds it is different. Cannabis light is sold as a “collector’s item” or can be used for “technical purposes.”
Let’s circle back to our buddy Mary Jane.
Sorry to be the carrier of bad news, but buying weed is illegal in Italy. There is an exception, that expectation is “cannabis light” and also for those using cannabis medicinally. So, right now those who can legally able to consume and buy marijuana are those who have a medical card. Right now CBD oil is legal to purchase and use through a doctor’s prescription and without a prescription. The catch is, cannabis can only have six years in prison or a maximum fine of €75,000. The distribution of marijuana is not legal at all in Italy. This is because the Italian government controls all of the medical surrounding selling and buying marijuana because they want to ensure that they have m arijuana can land you two to marijuana. It is illegal to sell and grow marijuana. The government created these laws complete control over the weed in their country. They hoped that this legislation would reduce the amount of “bad” marijuana circulating and also reduce the number of children who use it.
The demand for medical marijuana is so high in Italy that the government cannot keep up. The imports from the Netherlands and government grown cannabis have not been enough for the millions of people in need of medical marijuana. Prices per gram have gone up to 50€, which is about $59 US. For a quick comparison, most places in the US sells weed for $10 a gram. The weed is way too expensive there and there is not enough of it.
Italy’s laws surrounding cannabis are a bit murky, but one thing isn’t murky… wink* wink* at all. In 2019, the Italian supreme court began to allow people to grow small amounts of marijuana in their homes for personal use only, but the plant can not get big enough to harvest…does that make any sense? The one thing Italy is having trouble with is allowing people to sell cannabis. They really want it to be well regulated, but they realized they cannot grow enough weed to supply all of the medical users. The government has also recognized that not everyone can afford 50€ a gram. So, this leads us to Italy’s cannabis culture.
Italy’s Cannabis Culture
As stated above, Italy has a very rich, but quiet history involving cannabis…mostly because we call cannabis something different from what it could have been referred to in ancient documents, but Italy definitely has been touched by ganja.
One of the main reasons Italy’s government isn’t completely ready to legalize cannabis is because of the far-right, “League Party.” The League Party does not support weed at all and they also have the Catholic Church to back them up. The groups that are helping to legalize marijuana are the “Five Star Movement” and the Democratic Party.
The majority of the population supports the use of marijuana to some degree. Italy actually ranks at 12th most common users of marijuana. With such high use of marijuana, it is no surprise that Italy is on the road to legalizing cannabis recreationally.
Italy is ready for cannabis whether or not their government is on board. People started opening cannabis shops all over Italy. These “cannabis light” shops sold all types of goods such as the flower, oils, resins, shampoos, and other cannabis-infused products. According to the “Italy Magazine,” “Cannabis light can be purchased at many tabaccherie, at automatic machines, specialist chain stores, and organic cooperatives. Some cities are home to online delivery websites which offer services much like Foodora.”
“Cannabis Light” is Italy’s gateway to legalizing marijuana. Once citizens get used to the rules and regulations involving “cannabis light” they will not be as fearful when full THC marijuana is legalized. The craziest part is the police are in support of the legalization of marijuana. This is very very important…the police union is on the side of legalizing marijuana. It won’t be long until almost everyone is on board.
Seed Banks Italia (Italian Seed Banks)
Where can you buy seeds in Italy? Is it completely legal to buy marijuana seeds in Italy? The answer is yes. It is legal to buy marijuana seeds in the mail in Italy. Here’s the kicker… you aren’t really allowed to cultivate it. Well, you can grow it, but not let it get big enough to harvest.
So, since it is legal to buy cannabis seeds. There are two amazing seed banks that ship to Italy.
Crop King Seeds:
Crop King Seeds make your purchasing of marijuana seeds online much more pleasant. The site including all of the bright colors and lively animations feels very professional.
Crop King Seeds have been in the seed business since 2005. What makes them extraordinary is that this organization began as one worker and now has become a notable cannabis seed company. They highly value quality and administration over whatever else. CKS is prepared to converse with clients all day, every day, so it is not out of the ordinary that you will have quality client assistance.
With regards to CKS’s original seeds, they will blow you out of this world. Like most sites, Crop King Seeds allows you to browse a couple of various kinds of seeds to discover your preferred seeds whether it be autoflowering, feminized, standard, or CBD seeds. For some, their prices may seem high, but anything is cheaper than the steep rates the government is charging people medicinally. Also, their quality is nearly unmatched.
Marijuana-Seeds.NL (MSNL)
Marijuana-Seeds.nl is a very classy website with tasteful design that is not at all overwhelming. This company has a very sweet and touching origin story. So, this business started with two friends who started growing their personal collection of marijuana seeds by traveling all over Europe and Australia. The two friends realized the beauty and diversity of marijuana, so they kept trying to find better strains. They have been at this business since 1999 and have built up an extensive collection of seeds as well as their own strains!
MSNL has such an easy to navigate site that buying cannabis seeds is very simple and time-efficient. Unlike many other companies, there is little to no stress when using their site to find exactly what you want.
When shipping through MSNL, you don’t have to worry. They use the most up to date ways to discreetly ship your package to you. Through their many years in the industry, they have nearly perfected shipping to their customers. One of their selling points is how discrete they truly are. Even their billing is extremely discrete because they care about their customers’ safety! Since they have been in the business for so long, they are able to sell their products at extremely reasonable prices.
Final Thoughts on Buying Cannabis Seeds In Italy:
Italy’s rapidly changing cannabis laws are something to be hopeful about. The “Beautiful Country” is about to become a lot greener in the next couple of years!
If you’re looking to purchase cannabis seeds online in Italy, then our recommendations are as follows:
- Seedsman Seed Bank: [Read Our Seedsman Review] – Huge selection of seeds, fast and discrete shipping!
- Crop King Seeds: [Read Our Crop King Seeds Review] – Highly trusted Canadian brand with discrete worldwide shipping, many payment methods including PayPal.
If you’re looking for other seed banks to buy cannabis seeds from, then check out our cannabis seed bank reviews guide!
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