Italy’s Plans To Decriminalize Recreational Cannabis Are No Longer

Italy was left with some mixed feelings yesterday after the Supreme Court vetoed a referendum to decriminalize the cultivation and possession of marijuana in the country. It’s said that the ballot campaign received over 500,000 signatures only in a matter of weeks, but today, it was shut down under the Supreme Court. 

The referendum was initially proposed in September 2021, and activists around the country were raising awareness that it was likely Italy would see decriminalized cannabis sometime soon. But when it fell in the Supreme Court’s hands, it noticed the referendum had some faulty and incompatible guidelines that didn’t fall in line with the Italian Constitution. 

Supreme Court President Giuliano Amato said in a press conference that the referendum included the cultivation and possession of narcotics, not just cannabis. If passed, it would have removed criminal punishments of cultivating drugs under Italy’s Schedule I and III narcotics lists.

These lists include drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, but cannabis is still listed as a Schedule II narcotic. In the press conference, Amato says accepting a referendum like this could result in Italy violating “numerous international treaties,” reports Forbes. 

Those in support of the referendum had a few arguments against Amato’s statements. However, the key point of their discussion was that in order to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of cannabis, this would only work if the cultivation of any substance was also decriminalized. 

The referendum did not allow individuals to transform narcotic plants into drugs. Meaning someone who grows coca plants can’t transform them into cocaine under the law. This would make sense for cannabis, as it doesn’t need any changing in order to smoke it; just pick off the buds and toke away. 

But, because the referendum would have decriminalized the possession and cultivation of recreational cannabis flowers grown on the plant, individuals would not be permitted to transform these products into extracts, edibles, and other non-flower products. 

The supporters of the referendum continued to hit Amato with arguments that would hopefully help him realize that it wouldn’t be all that dangerous to pass the motion. But, alas, the Supreme Court rejected the referendum, and recreational cannabis is still far from a reality for Italians.