Italy’s supreme court ruled Dec. 19 that the home cultivation of cannabis for personal use is legal in a landmark decision that is expected to receive pushback from critics.
The ruling comes after the Court of Cassation was asked to clarify previous contradictory interpretations of the law, according to The Telegraph.
The court ruled in 2008 that cannabis cultivation was illegal, but the issue has been a point of confusion for courts at various levels, which have issued contradictory judgements over the years, according to the news outlet.
The supreme court took up this most recent case last October, when a defendant challenged a Naples Court of Appeals ruling that sentenced him to a year in jail for cultivating two cannabis plants.
Under the supreme court’s ruling, “small amounts grown domestically for the exclusive use of the grower” are excluded from the law, The Telegraph reported, which effectively overturns the Naples Court of Appeals ruling.
The ruling has already received pushback from organizations that deal with drug dependency, however, according to the news outlet.
“Drugs cause harm, forget about growing them or buying them in shops,” said Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League Party, in a public statement.
In addition, the Livatino Study Centre has argued that the court’s decision is a “worrying dissociation from reality,” The Telegraph reported, and cited research demonstrating that cannabis is the most widely used drug among Italy’s youth.
