Italy: support for the hemp industry

Recently, the Italian government issued a decree formalising financial support for the hemp industry in Italy. Already well ahead of the rest of Europe, Italy is once again showing initiative. With a budget of 300 euros per cultivated hectare, Italian hemp growers will be the envy of their European counterparts.

Italy: the defender of medical cannabis and hemp in Europe

A fervent defender of the decree, the Italian Minister for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy, Stefano Patuanelli, in office since 13th February 2021, believes "firmly in this crop with its many industrial, pharmaceutical, construction, and food uses", and defends it against those who would reduce it to purely recreational use. With this new decree, which provides substantial support for the hemp sector, Italy consolidates its position as Europe’s leader in terms of hemp. 

Ahead of the rest of its European neighbours, Italy legalised medical cannabis in 2007 and authorised the use of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) for medical purposes. To support this new market and develop its own hemp industry, Italy has gone so far as to entrust production to the army, which has its own pharmaceutical factory. The Italian army is the only one in the world to be responsible for the production of medical cannabis. 

In 2016, Italy authorised the cultivation of hemp, a variety of cannabis characterised by a lower THC content (around 0.6% per extract). This is another difference in Italy, as the THC level allowed is higher than that permitted across the rest of the European Union (set at 0.2% per extract). Thanks to its many potential uses (textiles, building materials, cosmetics, food products, etc.), hemp is rapidly becoming an appealing sector to support. Italy went even further in 2019, by allowing Italians to grow hemp for personal use.

In 2020, the predecessor of the current Italian Minister for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy, Giuseppe Conte, signed a decree classifying hemp flower as a medicinal plant. Therefore, the hemp sector is seeing its production increase with new and interesting prospects, particularly in the medical sector. 

Hemp: a versatile industry that should be supported and encouraged 

In order to support this growing sector, which is of strategic interest in many innovative sectors, the Italian government passed a decree at the end of 2021/beginning of 2022 announcing new support for hemp growers. 

As explained by the MP Giuseppe L’Abbate, who worked on this important issue, "the decree provides support per hectare, equal to 300 euros, up to a limit of 50 hectares". But Italy wanted to go further, as the decree "also concerns research on new varieties of hemp, on methods of quickly regulating THC, and on mechanisation". And to enable Italy to make the best use of its hemp production, the decree also provides "support to companies that invest in the post-harvesting processing of hemp and in drying, product cleaning, and scutching facilities".

As hemp offers many promising prospects, it is likely that Italy will surprise its European neighbours again with initiatives in favour of hemp cultivation and use in the years to come.