Italy: Italian Industrial Hemp Overview 2023

In January 2017, hemp cultivation became legal pursuant to Italian law No. 242/2016 promoting hemp cultivation and its industrial uses, leading to a sector revival, with more than 800 farms cultivating 4,000 hectares (ha). The law allows growers to plant only hemp varieties registered in the EU’s “Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species”. On February 14, 2023, the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio (TAR) annulled a national decree of January 21, 2022 that limited hemp production to the use of seeds and seeds derivatives. TAR's ruling authorized the use of the whole hemp plant in Italy (including leaves and inflorescences), bringing the country in line with EU regulations.