Just wondering if anyone can tell me for sure if it is legal to grow Marijuana for personal use. I have googled it and I am getting mixed messages. There does not seem to be anywhere to find out for sure, and I don't want to break the law.
Thanks

See this document:

>HERE<

For foreigners - see para.5 under the heading 'PUNITI I CONSUMATORI'

Nope... la legge Fini regarding drugs prompted Italy to begin adopting a "war on drugs" modeled after the one in the U.S, and consequently sparked the creation of many antiproibizionista organizations throughout the country... many of which grew out of certain centro sociali. Unfortunately most of them either began as or degraded into nothing more then shining examples of why la legge Fini should remain as it is, shooting themselves in the foot as it were... My advice is don't mess around with it... or at least treat the situation as you would in the States (not using Alaska, New Mexico, San Francisco, or the on/off state vs. federal status of Los Angeles recently as an example) and knowing the risks you're taking... Amsterdam is cheap to get to if you must...

(edited for clarity because the "yep" at the beginning was in reference to Carole's linked article...)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Justin B,

Unfortunately it is not. The Italian law on drugs is one of the most repressive, with out of range criminalization even of simple possession of small amounts of THC. So far, several people have killed themselves in Italian prisons due to the abuse they suffered in jail when imprisoned for owning small amounts of marijuana or other THC products exclusively for personal use. Recently, the Cassazione first allowed growing Cannabis Sativa as an ornamental plant, but after only a few months it overruled the sentence, thus condemning growing it also for "licit" reasons. The prohibition extends also to cannabis grown for medical uses.

Why do you want to grow marijuana in Italy, for medical reasons?

Thanks for the replies...good to know.


Not for Medical reasons, and not at all if its illegal. I enjoy smoking it from time to time, but its not worth jail time, or losing what I have here.

I think it's better for the government to let people grow their own marijuana. It will reduce the dependence on the mafia controlled business.

In Italy, your jail time wouldn't be too bad. It is worse to contribute to the existance of the mafia who can make the lives of many people outside jail much worse.

quote:

In Italy, your jail time wouldn't be too bad. It is worse to contribute to the existance of the mafia who can make the lives of many people outside jail much worse.

I think Bill, that he is suggesting that the illegality of such drugs contributes to the success of illegal organisations. Think Prohibition, for example.

I don't smoke but it's not an issue that worries me too much per se. When such laws are so widely disregarded it tends to undermine the general rule of law as well.

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When such laws are so widely disregarded it tends to undermine the general rule of law as well.

Are they?

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Originally posted by Bill 2:

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When such laws are so widely disregarded it tends to undermine the general rule of law as well.

Are they?

Does a law that is broken by 1/4 of the population at least once in there lives count as widely disregarded?

(edited to fix my grammar!)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Justin B,

Good question- we need a lawyer to give us the answer. Testa dura where are you?

Let me preface this by saying I am 100% for the legalization of marijuana but it should be controlled like any other substance.
Legalizing marijuana could (and I say could because I really know nothing about the marijuana market) mean more controls on what gets put on the market and it may become safer. I have heard, living in Berkeley and all, that there are increasing problems with marijuana tainted with other drugs or the quality/source can jeopardize someone's health.
As far as laws on the books that everyone will break sometime in their life... well, once I stole a lipgloss from a store when I was 12 but I am not a thief now and I don't think theft should be legalized. The analysis should not be "how many people have broken the law at least once in their life", but "evolving traditions and societal values/universal trends", or something along those lines- IN MY OPINION ONLY, I only speak for myself.

I agree- making laws based on how many people violate the current laws isn't a good idea. A sizeable percentage of people speed- should legislatures ignore the public safety, energy consumption, and pollution consderations and hike speed limits to 90? Who needs a legislature or judicial precedence in the courts- just replace it with a polling system and let a significant minority make law.

I agree with you both Jenna and Bill2...

My comment on the percentage of people breaking a specific law was not meant to be an argument for legalization, it was only aimed at the previous statement regarding "widely disregarded laws" undermining the rule of law as a whole, which itself is arguable.... I was just tossing in more data...

It's also important to remember that marijuana in particular is illegal now not solely because people "get high" on it, but because of all the other well ingrained industries that are threatened by its myriad of potential uses (textiles, pharmaceuticals, food, fuel, etc)... Remember a major crop of the "founding fathers" of the U.S. was hemp...

Always wondered what George Washington was smoking in that clay pipe

!! !!

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Always wondered what George Washington was smoking in that clay pipe

Good one! I think Bill found the tradition. (sorry, I couldn't resist, but will I really have another opportunity to use this emoticon?)

Hemp for Victory was a film produced by the USDA during WWII to encourage farmers to grow cannabis....

Check it out. This is not ancient history -- or even early American history.

Well, when I mentioned evolving traditions I was referring to rights and interests that were not recognized maybe 200, 100, or even 20 years ago. There was a time when whites could not marry non-white and that was the "tradition" at the time but now we would think a rule based in white supremacy to be absurd.
I have no idea if there is an evolving tradition of pot smoking/consumption/growing in the U.S. or Italy. Not exactly my area of competence.

Italian plumbers use hemp fibers with pine rosin instead of teflon tape on threaded fittings. Looks like hell but works awesome- it's on all the gas metano line fittings too.

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Originally posted by Bill 2:
Italian plumbers use hemp fibers with pine rosin instead of teflon tape on threaded fittings. Looks like hell but works awesome- it's on all the gas metano line fittings too.

Those must be the most laid-back pipes in the world!

I remember that stuff, reminded me of a hag's hairpiece, you mean they're still using it?

Yep, seems to work as well as teflon anti-seize tape. Sometimes modern techniques don't improve on traditional methods.

Italian court rules possession of marijuana is legal for religious purposes:
http://www.corriere.it/english/articoli/2008/07_Luglio/11/rastafarians.shtml

Irie mon, irie!