The International Hemp Festival to be held in Turin has been cancelled as a result of the latest statements released by the Minister Matteo Salvini. However, at the same time, Turin municipality approved cultivation of medical cannabis within Turin territory.
Shutting down legal cannabis shops
The Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini has started a campaign to close all the legal cannabis shops in Italy. “I am happy because we are going to close three shops here in the Marche region. I want to say thank you to the police, judges, doctors and universities that are doing something to save the lives of young Italians,” he stated. “We are going to ban all the initiatives, celebrations and exhibition related to drugs that damage our youngsters,” he concluded.
International Hemp Festival cancelled
The Minister’s words already had a result: the International Hemp Festival in Turin scheduled for May 17-19 has been cancelled. A note from the organisers of the Festival reads: “Yesterday, Minister Salvini released a statement where he described the Hemp Festival as a disgrace – on top of his commitment to shut down all the legal cannabis shops in the country.”
“It is hard to make him understand that our Festival does not incentivize the use of drugs, but rather is a cultural and informative project the main purpose of which is to share knowledge and information on a topic that is still quite controversial in Italy,” the organisers continue.
According to the organizers, Salvini’s statement caused “many exhibitors to withdraw from the event, and therefore we have been forced to cancel it in order to prevent any consequences for the businesses that wanted to partake in it.”
The Minister cheered at the news: “The International Hemp Festival in Turin has been cancelled. Great news! In addition to that, two legal cannabis shops have been shut down in Macerata today.”
Sergio Martines, Canapar Corp. CEO, commented: "We want to remark that the cannabis light phenomenon represents only a small portion of the European hemp market, which has been estimated to be worth € 36 billion euros. To regulate does not mean to forbid the possibility of using this plant which has many different applications. Thanks to this plant, we could be able to make the 'made in Italy' to stand out."
Cultivation approved in Turin territory
However, the latest law approved by the Turin municipality contradicts the Minister’s efforts. The council has indeed approved the cultivation of medical cannabis within the municipality’s properties. Councilor Federico Mensio stated: “I hope that cannabis will soon be understood not as something that gives addiction, but as something that helps patients.”
Councilor Maura Paoli added: “I hope that today’s decision will help getting over the anachronistic prohibitionism of our country.”
Source ilfattoquotidiano.it
