It is in place in these very days the online collection of signatures for the referendum on legal cannabis. Through this referendum we want to eliminate some crimes relating to its cultivation as well as to its possession and use.
All over Italy over 500,000 signatures have already been collected, the minimum number necessary for the application to continue through the subsequent stages of the legal process. Collecting them was very simple because we are talking about the largest online mobilization to reform the laws currently in force in our country regarding cannabis, which can be adhered to by leaving a digital signature after having authenticated with the Spid.
Whoever decides to vote shows his desire to repeal three aspects which we will see in detail shortly. Once the signatures have been collected, the request must be validated by both the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation. Only after this step can a national referendum be held in order to finally legalize cannabis.
Cannabidi has given a generous contribution to validate the signatures made so far, considering that each validation has cost one euro. Since we firmly believe in this mission, we wanted to make our contribution to validating the signatures in favor of the cannabis referendum.
But let’s see immediately what the referendum entails and what will happen in the future for cannabis lovers.
What does the referendum on legal cannabis foresee?
What the cannabis referendum aims to do can be read directly in the official site referendumcannabis.it on which you can leave your signature and obtain in-depth information.
In particular, the cannabis referendum aims to eliminate:
- The cultivation crime which is now envisaged by the Consolidated Law on Narcotic Drugs;
- The custodial sentences (with imprisonment from two to six years) related to the world of cannabis;
- There suspension and withdrawal of the driving license for those who possess drugs or make personal use of them.
To date, in Italy, cannabis it is still considered an amazing, apart from the case of cannabis with a high CBD content and a low THC percentage allowed for technical use or collecting. Know what is CBDAnd what is THC it is very important to understand which type is still available and which is, for the moment, still illegal.
Until now, cultivation has only been allowed to companies with authorization that produce products with a THC level below 0.5%. However, as has already happened in other countries, also in Italy we would like to reach a higher level of tolerance.
As we have already mentioned above, the referendum on cannabis intends to repeal all three aspects at the same time. This means that it is not possible to sign only for one of them but must be accepted in bulk.
In fact, citizens are asked the question “Do you want to repeal …”, Followed by the three items. It will be then the task of the Constitutional Court to decide whether to pass all three requests to a national referendum or whether to grant only one or two. On the second vote it is clear that citizens will only be led to vote on what the Court has admitted.
What changes will the referendum bring
From what we have just said it is easy to understand that the cannabis referendum will act on two levels:
- Administrative plan: eliminating the withdrawal and suspension of the driving license;
- Criminal plan: eliminating the crime of cultivation and prison sentences.
It is good to pay attention to one aspect, namely that the cultivation crime envisaged by the referendum is that of cultivation for personal purposes. This means that if the referendum on cannabis passes, in the future it will be possible to cultivate for oneself but not for sale.
With this novelty drugs then become legal? Absolutely not. The narcotic substances indicated in the updated ministerial table will remain unchanged, even if their cultivation (not for the purpose of drug dealing or for criminal association) will be permitted. In fact, several stages of transformation of the substances are necessary before they can be consumed.
Today they already exist on the market products with low THC content like theCBD oiland other similar products. In fact, there are also products with a higher concentration of this psychoactive active ingredient and they fall within the so-called medical cannabis. The latter, however, can only be purchased in pharmacies and with a medical prescription for the treatment of serious diseases.
Alongside the THC they exist many other substances which fall into the table like opium and, in general, anything that alters mental faculties. In this regard, there are still controversial opinions on whether the referendum could also legalize the cultivation of such plants.
What are the steps? What is missing?
The referendum is an instrument that aims to involve the entire population in a decision that concerns the nation. In fact, we speak of direct democracy. In particular, the cannabis referendum is a abrogative referendum which, as we have already explained, aims to eliminate the laws currently in force.
On the official website anyone over 18 years old and has not been excluded from the vote for other reasons, he can leave his signature and thus participate in the vote.
In order for the process to be successful, they are first and foremost at least 500,000 signatures are required of citizens (quorum), which have already been reached and exceeded.
After that, the question comes submitted to the Court of Cassation, which must verify that the law that the referendum intends to repeal is actually in force. But not only that, during the check it also verifies that the signatures are legitimate and that their number is sufficient to proceed in the subsequent phases.
To carry out a further check is also the Constitutional Courtwhich must assess whether the application has been brought in the right terms and which of the requests to accept.
The last steps are the publication in the Official Gazette and the final vote by citizens which usually takes place in the period of time between April 15th and June 15th. If a majority is reached, the President of the Republic will declare the abrogation of the laws involved in the referendum question which from that moment will no longer be in force.
What if the referendum fails? For the next five years, citizens will not be able to address another one on the same topic of cannabis.
Now it is necessary to wait a little longer to understand what will happen and if the signatures obtained will be certified before their presentation in the Supreme Court on 30 September. In the meantime, you can buy on our shop cannabis-based products already legalized in Italy pending further industry news.
