One of Italy’s main agricultural associations has asked the government to clarify the legality of industrial hemp activities – the latest move in a growing pushback against a national ban on hemp flowers
Confagricoltura (Confederazione Generale dell’Agricoltura Italiana), which represents agricultural enterprises across all production sectors and regions of Italy, filed the request – officially an “Act of Authentic Interpretation” – with the Ministry of the Interior,
“We demand rapid clarity; otherwise, we risk undermining entrepreneurs’ efforts and creating a divide with the rest of Europe,” said Nicolò Panciera di Zoppola Gambara, president of Confagricoltura.
“Each time we’ve asked, we’ve been reassured that the government does not intend to criminalize hemp cultivation or the agro-industrial supply chain,” said Gambara, estimating the hemp flower sector employs 30,000 workers and generates €150 million in tax revenues annually.
Founded in 1920, Confagricoltura plays a leading role in national and EU agricultural policy, with a network of regional and provincial federations.
Uncertainty reigns
Confagricoltura’s initiative focuses on Article 18 of the government’s “Security Decree,” which classifies all hemp flowers and cannabinoids such as CBD, CBG and CBN as narcotics, regardless of THC content. The measure effectively bans cultivation, sale, processing and possession of hemp flower, blurring the legal distinction between non-psychoactive industrial hemp and marijuana.
The association warned that the rule, intended to protect public safety, has instead created confusion and legal risk for more than 3,000 businesses across the value chain, from farming to manufacturing, energy, and green building materials.
Looking for standards
In the Italian legal system, an Act of Authentic Interpretation is a parliamentary measure that clarifies how an existing law should be applied, without rewriting it. Such acts are binding on courts, regulators and law enforcement.
While Parliament issues the act, ministries can support or trigger the process. The Interior Ministry is central because it oversees law enforcement, including drug laws, and can also issue interim administrative guidance. Confagricoltura is urging the government to use this tool to formally confirm that industrial hemp activities are legal and exempt from the narcotics regime, and to standardize controls to give operators legal certainty.
Wider opposition
Confagricoltura’s action follows a joint move by Italy’s regional agricultural councilors, aligned under the Italian Confederation of Agriculture (Cia), who called the ban “ideological” and warned that it threatens regional autonomy and undermines economic development.
Regional officials, producers, and advocacy groups are mounting legal challenges and lobbying both Rome and Brussels, and the European Commission has requested clarification from Italy.
The political and economic backlash continues after an April court decision that upheld the government’s ban on oral CBD products, reinforcing the classification of all cannabis-derived oral supplements as pharmaceuticals. The ruling cited health concerns under the “precautionary principle,” rejecting scientific evidence presented by Italian and EU sources.