During the Question Time in the Chamber of Deputies, held this Tuesday (22), Minister Francesco Lollobrigida responded to the inquiry from Deputy Riccardo Magi (+Europe) about the economic impact of the new Article 18 of the Security Decree (48/2025), a measure that, in practice, reinforces the prohibition of the commercialization of cannabis inflorescences, even those produced in compliance with Law 242/2016, which regulates the cultivation of the plant for industrial purposes.

According to the minister, the government's intention is clear: to protect public health and prevent legal loopholes from being exploited for questionable purposes. Lollobrigida argues that it is not about criminalizing honest producers, but about containing deviations that have turned legal uncertainty into a gray area for commercial practices on the edge of legality. "We are not penalizing those who have always acted within the law," he stated. "But we need to ensure that the use of the plant does not exceed safety limits," he said.

The imposed measure directly affects 22,000 workers and three thousand companies, prevented from marketing their products and suffering financial losses with items stuck in stock. Some of these companies started their operations with public resources and generate hundreds of jobs in the region.

Deputy Magi was direct in his reply: “We are talking about a substance that has no psychotropic effect. We are not discussing narcotics, but flowers. Flowers that became sustenance, flowers that today rot in stocks”. He also recalled that the Agriculture Commission of the Conference of Regions – even with the support of right-wing representatives, unanimously requested the revision of the norm, and that the Court of Cassation itself raised doubts about the constitutionality of the article.

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