Italy is set to decriminalise small-scale cultivation of cannabis plants in residents’ own homes after a reform was approved by the Lower House’s justice committee on Wednesday, September 8.
The domestic farming of the drug will be allowed for personal use only and people will be limited to up to four plants.
However, it also increases the penalties for crimes linked to the trafficking and dealing of cannabis, with the maximum sentence increasing from six to ten years.
The reform, which was put forward by Italian MP Riccardo Magi, makes Italy one of the first countries in Europe to decriminalize the domestic cultivation of cannabis for personal use, with Spain and the Czech Republic also permitting the growth of up to five plants at home.
This reform comes nearly two years after a landmark decision from Italy’s Supreme Court in 2019, that ruled small-scale domestic cultivation of cannabis was legal.
The ruling was made on December 19, 2019, but went unnoticed until a week later when it was reported by domestic news agencies and immediately fueled a simmering political debate over cannabis use in Italy.