Italy is known for its art, coastlines, and cuisine—but when it comes to marijuana laws, things get more complicated.
While some European countries move toward legalization, Italy’s position remains tangled in legal gray areas and shifting policies.
Whether you're a tourist, a medical user, or just staying informed, it’s essential to know what’s allowed and what’s not.
This guide breaks down Italy’s cannabis laws in plain language—explaining what you can and can’t do when it comes to weed.
From recreational use and medical prescriptions to hemp products and airport regulations, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know before you arrive.
Is Weed Legal in Italy？
No, recreational marijuana is not allowed in Italy. Although personal use is decriminalized, purchasing, using, or growing weed is illegal with severe consequences.
However, you can bring medicinal marijuana with you to Italy if it was prescribed by a doctor in Italy (it must be an Italian doctor’s prescription, though — not a foreign one).
“Cannabis light” (low-THC hemp under 0.6%) used to be legal in Italy, thanks to a legal technicality. However, in April of 2025, Decree-Law No. 48 outlawed all hemp flower products, and low-THC varieties are now considered controlled substances.
From recreational to illicit medicinal use, anyone caught with marijuana, using marijuana, selling marijuana, or smuggling marijuana will face strict legal penalties. This includes being slapped with hefty fines and years in prison.
To deter illegal cannabis operations, the Italian government enforces its laws, in particular those relating to trafficking and illegal growing.
Is CBD Oil Legal in Italy?
Yes, but with strict restrictions.
Since April 2025, Italy has put much stricter rules in place around CBD due to the Security Decree. The sale and possession of CBD that comes from hemp flowers is now prohibited but extracts originating from other parts of the plant like seeds or stalks are still allowed.
Medical and Industrial Marijuana in Italy
Is Medical Marijuana Legal in Italy?
Yes, medical marijuana is legal—but strictly regulated.
In Italy, doctors are able to write a prescription for cannabis-based drugs that have already been formally legalized in the country, with a special dossier approved by the Ministry of Health.
For cannabis-based drugs not authorized in Italy but permitted in another country, a doctor must complete an import application to be submitted to the Ministry of Health and Customs.
Qualifying conditions doctors can recommend marijuana include chemotherapy-induced nausea, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, AIDS-related wasting, and Tourette’s syndrome.
Doctors can prescribe bespoke preparations formulated from raw cannabis plant material, which are usually manufactured by Stabilimento Chimico Farmaceutico Militare (SCFM) in Florence.
Is Industrial Marijuana Legal in Italy?
Yes, hemp can be used for industrial purposes.
Industrial hemp is legal, and cannabis plants that contain less than 0.3% THC can be legally used for non-psychoactive CBD products.
Industrial hemp acts as a multipurpose resource, used to create various products such as food, cosmetics, and inputs like fibers, oils, and biofuels.
It can be used for sustainable agriculture as a green manure, as part of an environmentally restorative technique called phytodepuration (purifying by using plants), and to provide sustainable materials for construction and bioengineering. Hemp is also grown for education, research, and as ornamental plant.
There is no provision of the prohibition of products derived from marketing hemp, as long as they comply with general laws and regulations with respect to the supply, production, product safety, and consumer laws.
However, there is a new law in effect as of April 12, 2025, which classifies all cannabis flowers (even without THC) as illegal narcotics and prohibits growing, selling, transporting, owning, or consuming cannabis flowers or derivatives thereof (including CBD, CBG, CBN).
Relevant Regulations and Penalties
1. Personal Possession and Use
Personal possession:
Illegal for possession, but possession of small amounts is decriminalized — usually up to 5 g or around 500 mg of THC (~5 g cannabis).
Most first-time offenders simply get an official warning and no criminal record.
Repeated breaches can result in administrative penalties, and these may include suspension of your driving license, passport, or residence permit for up to 1 year.
Personal Use:
You won’t go to jail for using cannabis, but it’s illegal and the punishment is administrative.
While use in private spaces is generally allowed, public use can lead to fines or document seizure.
2. Trafficking and Distribution
For “lesser” offenses: 1-6 years in prison and a fine of €3,000-26,000.
For large-scale trafficking: imprisonment of 6-20 years and fines between €26,000-€260,000.
3. Agricultural Cultivation
For industrial hemp, if the THC level exceeds 0.6% during the growing process, authorities have permission to take or destroy the crop.
The penalties for growing marijuana without permission, especially if it is not considered “industrial cannabis,” are very severe. If caught, you could face a prison sentence of 6 to 20 years and fines of between €26,000 and €260,000.
4. Advertising Restrictions on Hemp Imagery and Related Penalties in Italy
Amendment-derogation 1 of 25th May 2024 provides that ‘is forbidden any form of representation or graphic design, even if implemented in stylized form, of the entire hemp plant or any of its parts, on billboards, posters, advertising materials, and on any other means, for the promotion of commercial activities’.
Failure to comply carries a punishment of imprisonment from 6 months to 2 years and a fine of up to 20,000 euro.
Customs Inspection for Passengers
Entry with Cannabis is Illegal
Italy considers anything with cannabis in it, such as hemp flower, a drug if you bring it in through customs. Even the smallest trace of cannabis flower, oil, or edibles (including CBD), will not be allowed into the country.
Consequences at the Border
If you have any marijuana products with you, they will be confiscated right away. And you could also be taken into custody on the spot, and even criminally charged, even if it’s just a small amount.
Medical Cannabis
Passengers traveling with medicinal marijuana must clearly declare it to customs, have official prescriptions and permission paperwork, and carry amounts that are consistent with their prescription. Failure to do so can result in confiscation and fines.
Local Attitude Towards Marijuana in Italy
Though cannabis is illegal in Italy for recreational purposes, the tide of history seems to be slowly turning towards reform, especially among younger people.
A poll from last year found that more than half of Italians think it should be legalized, with most seeing the plant as a way to erode organized crime and provide a controlled system for consumption.
For visitors, this means the laws surrounding marijuana remain tight, but the culture is becoming more laid-back and possibly in flux. You might encounter disparity in attitudes: easy-going acceptance in some regions and serious zero-tolerance in others.
FAQ
1. What do drug laws in Italy say about non-Italians?
Foreign visitors can be prosecuted under local laws, and serious offenders face deportation.
2. What’s the distinction between administrative and criminal fines for weed in Italy?
You can be subject to administrative sanctions (i.e., losing your license) for personal usage; criminal charges are reserved for those caught trafficking and/or cultivating the drug.
3. Can I get arrested for just being high in public in Italy?
Being under the influence alone may not lead to arrest, but public intoxication could result in police intervention.
4. Will I be turned away at the Italy border for a drug conviction?
Though it’s uncommon, they can refuse entry if your drug conviction is very serious and registered in global databases.
Conclusion
In brief, recreational weed is not permitted in Italy, and you can get fined or have it confiscated.
Medical marijuana is allowed, but you need a local doctor’s prescription. Furthermore, new laws have made the use of CBD and hemp products more difficult.
If you’re visiting Italy, it’s probably not the best place to travel with or use cannabis. There’s a lot to see and do, so skip on the weed as you travel the country.