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State-controlled cannabis cultivation in Italy (archive image)
Photo: Alessandro Bianchi / REUTERS
Advocates of a looser drug policy in Italy have suffered a setback.
After a decision by the constitutional court in Rome, there will be no referendum on whether the cultivation of cannabis should become legal in the future.
Court President Giuliano Amato explained that the referendum was not only about cannabis, but also about other drugs such as cocaine.
If the referendum had been successful, it would have violated Italy's international obligations in the fight against drug-related crime, Amato said.
In autumn 2021, supporters of legalization collected more than 600,000 signatures for the referendum within a few days.
They argue that if cannabis cultivation were allowed, the mafia and other criminal organizations could be defeated.
Then they would lose large sources of income.
The organizers of the campaign did not want the court's decision to be taken as a defeat.
Rather, the rejection of the referendum is a "defeat for the institutions that are no longer able to understand a large part of the country," said a statement on Facebook.
The constitutional court had already rejected a referendum on the legalization of euthanasia on Tuesday.
On the other hand, five motions for a referendum on reforms of the judiciary were accepted.
The Ministry of the Interior must now find dates for the referendums.
In Germany, the traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP is currently planning to legalize cannabis for adults.
The government wants to introduce guidelines for the “controlled sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes in licensed shops”.
This would "control the quality, prevent the transfer of contaminated substances and ensure the protection of minors," according to the coalition agreement.
fek/dpa