Now the process continues with the next steps: the signatures and the question of the referendum must be confirmed by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, and if so, the referendum for the legalization of cannabis will be called, which will appeal to all citizens called to vote on this important issue. If the referendum is found admissible and the elections are held, will a breach be opened and will there be a look at freedom of movement? Would drugs become legal, as some fear and as others want? Let`s see what happens to the referendum to legalize cannabis, how the question is worded, what it actually offers and what impact it will have on the current legislation: this way you will understand what can be done and what remains prohibited instead. If the referendum is allowed, voting can take place between April 15 and April 15. June will take place. If the majority of citizens vote in favour of repeal, the law must be immediately «amputated» from the part indicated in the referendum question that the citizens wanted to eliminate: the President of the Republic must declare the repeal by decree (he can postpone the repeal up to a maximum of 60 days to give time to the chambers, create loopholes created by the regulatory vacuum); As of that date, the repealed provision will no longer have effect. The referendum on legal cannabis is taking place simultaneously on two different fronts: on the referendumcannabis.it website, where you can sign online, the warning on the first page states that «the referendum eliminates the crime of cultivation, lifts prison sentences for any conduct related to cannabis, and lifts the administrative penalty of licence revocation.» This penalty is not only intended for those who drive under the influence of drugs (and to date cannabis is considered as such), but is also imposed in all cases of imprisonment, so that it applies even if the behaviour does not constitute a criminal offence and the substance is intended exclusively for personal use. The referendum concerns only the latter, not the former, so that the drugged driver remains liable to prosecution; But let`s continue in order. The question of the referendum, already published in the Official Journal, which is therefore the reference basis for the vote, concerns the following three aspects: «The THC contained in cannabis is a psychotropic substance that can have harmful effects on the central nervous system, especially when ingested when the brain is not fully developed, that is, in adolescence. Our brain completes its development at the age of 20-22 years, so the use of psychotropic substances in adolescence or in young adults can cause irreversible damage to the central nervous system. Here is the Decalogue to deny the FAKE NEWS on cannabis and the referendum. This proposal, which takes the first steps in its parliamentary journey, aims to decriminalize the national cultivation of small quantities of cannabis if it is intended for personal use and if the number of plants does not exceed four.
But could this interfere with the upcoming referendum on full legalization? Theoretically, yes, because if Parliament were to expire in the coming months the current regulation, which still provides for culture as a criminal offence, the referendum would no longer be feasible, since the rule to be repealed would have already been abolished by the legislator or at least significantly modified. In practice, however, this is quite unlikely to happen, as talking about cannabis in Italy is not easy at all. There is no real legalization at the legislative level. Since 2007, it is still possible to have access to medical cannabis, but the applicants` demand is not fully met by the military chemical pharmaceutical plant in Florence, which holds a monopoly on cultivation, distribution, preparation and distribution. +Europa and Sinistra Italiana are the only parties in the current legislature to take a clear position on the issue of legalisation. The former included in its election manifesto the decriminalisation of crimes related to the use of soft drugs and advocated the legalisation of all drugs, while the latter signed the referendum question and even adopted a positive position at party level. — a formal check carried out by the Referendum Centre set up at the Court of Cassation to determine whether the law whose repeal is sought is still valid, whether the signatures have been collected legally and whether the number of signatories reached is sufficient; — the constitutional referendum on the ratification of laws after approval by Parliament and within three months of publication: for example, the 2016 referendum on the abolition of the Senate, which was rejected by citizens; «Amato did what he said he didn`t do: nip the hair in the bud. The rejection is unbelievable, there is no contrast with international standards, so much so that some countries that adhere to it have legalized Canada, Malta. This is a very hard blow to democracy,» said Riccardo Magi, MP and president of More Europe, who fought on the front line for the referendum.
Luigi Manconi, a former senator, is also critical, saying that «the verdict could cause a decline in political participation, especially among younger people.» And he adds: «The referendum was not an expression of a whim or an attempt to satisfy the wishes of a band of Fricchettoni; Behind this was a more intense and painful issue: the need for thousands of patients to have access to medical cannabis that they could not otherwise obtain. ».