Legal Cannabis stores, the ones Matteo Salvini had already said he wanted to close, are now in every Italian city.  For the past few months it has become increasingly common to come across stores with hemp leaf logos selling a large number of different products.

The regularity of this trade, however, has been put at serious risk by the ruling of the Supreme Court, which ruled on the afternoon of May 30, 2019, that the sale of products derived from light cannabis is a crime.

The verdict issued by the judges specifies that the law does not allow the sale or transfer for any reason of products “derived from the cultivation of cannabis,” including oil, leaves, inflorescences, and resin 

But what are cannabis light shops? And what come legal hemp stores?

Between seeds, inflorescences, oils, herbal teas, but also books, gadgets or cosmetics, there are many legal products sold in legal cannabis shops.

Legal cannabis stores therefore sell products made from hemp sativa inflorescence. The difference between legal cannabis and marijuana is the amount of thc contained in the products. Thc, tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active ingredient, and for a product to be legal, it must contain less than 0.2 percent.

“Classic” marijuana contains a thc level between 5 and 20 percent.

Legal Cannabis shops | What are legal hemp stores ?

The stores Salvini wants to close sell Legal Cannabis products, which are inflorescences (branches with flowers) of hemp sativa, one of the most popular varieties of cannabis. The difference between light cannabis and marijuana lies in the amount of the active ingredient: tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as Thc.

Light cannabis has been legal in Italy since January 2017, and by May 2018 the Ministry of Agriculture had officially certified that producing and selling light cannabis in Italy is legal.

Since the hemp law came into effect on January 14, 2017, there has been an increase in sales of the legal substance in several Italian cities, and grow shops have sprung up to sell legal marijuana without psychotropic effects.

According to some studies, however, the presence of hemp stores has been a deterrent to illegal dealing, which has decreased by 12 percent.

The European economic review study, Light cannabis and organized crime: Evidence from (unintended) liberalization in Italy, the presence of the stores has dealt a blow to the illegal market. 

The Higher Health Council a few months ago gave a negative opinion on the sale of hemp in Legal Cannabis shops.

According to the Css, there are individuals who could be particularly exposed to the effects of cannabis, even with a low level of Thc.

The Consiglio Superiore di Sanità with its opinion had said it hoped “that measures are activated, in the interest of individual and public health and in application of the precautionary principle, so as not to allow the free sale of the aforementioned products.”

In essence, the Council said it could not rule out the dangerousness of products for sale in Legal Cannabis shops.

Legal Cannabis stores | What legal hemp stores sell

Legal Cannabis shops not only sell consumer products, but also equipment and tools for growing and producing legal marijuana and hemp.

The main consumer products include hemp sativa inflorescences or CBD oils. But that’s not all. A great many products for sale are, for example, cannabis-based food products or beverages, such as cookies, candies, wine, energy drinks, beers, and infusions.

As well, of course, as various gadgets, with the logo of the classic marijuana leaf, printed on T-shirts, caps, backpacks and whatnot.