The Italian military has halted cannabis production at its Florence facility citing a “chronic shortage of personnel” just months after plans were announced for the military to help create a self-sufficient medical cannabis program by producing more cannabis.
Tasked with growing and producing medical cannabis for the country, the Italian military set lofty goals to produce roughly 1,500 pounds of cannabis (700 kilograms) this year to cover half of the amount required to meet the country’s medical cannabis needs. The production stoppage threatens to further disrupt access to medical cannabis for the nation’s 50,000 medical cannabis patients and puts even more strain on an already shaky supply chain. The latest news has led Italian journalist Fabrizio Dentini to predict the country will “not even be able to produce 100 kilograms (220 pounds) during 2023.”
The country first announced in 2014 “the army would help increase the production of medical marijuana, with the first secure growing facility unveiled in Florence” through the production facility which has increased its output year-over-year, managing 300 kilograms in 2022, thanks to an increase of grow rooms —from two in 2016 to the now 10—and up to six harvests a year. The Army was chosen because they would be able to produce medical-grade cannabis in a secure facility and because the Army has been involved in the country’s pharmaceutical industry for years, developing various drugs such as antidotes for chemical warfare and anti-malaria pills for soldiers. The Army has registered two types of cannabis it harvests as brands: FM1 and FM2, which stand for “Farmaceutico Militare” (“Military Pharmaceutical”) and each has a different THC level.
“What we can do in Florence is produce a highly standardized product so the dosage is unvaried, at the same price as we are now paying for imports,” said Picchioni.
Director of the military’s medical cannabis production facility, Colonel Gabriele Picchioni, told Italian media outlet Soft Secrets that production was halted on April 5, with plans to keep it on hold until mid-June. Picchioni explained the stalled production was planned and to build a new production line at the facility and not due to a lack of personnel as had been reported. Picchioni said the facility had plenty of reserve product stocked and there would be no shortage of product.
“Together with imported cannabis, they should allow us not to have repercussions on therapeutic continuity,” said Picchioni, who on the other hand questioned if the military would be able to produce the 400 kilograms required by the Ministry of Health.
Dentini believes that the FM2 strain of Italian medical cannabis currently in storage will remain in storage indefinitely as prescribing doctors prefer other imported products, such as Bediol from the Netherlands.
“Italian doctors prefer to prescribe (Bediol) instead of the Italian strain, so it will probably remain in the military storage until Bediol is over in the Italian market. Why do Italian doctors prefer to prescribe Bediol? Simply because this strain is more often on the market, so it is more reliable than the Italian strain,” said Dentini.
Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation previously ruled growing cannabis for personal use is not a crime after hearing an appeal from a man found guilty of possession of drugs. The judge ruled due to circumstance, such as the crude methods used to grow the plants, there was no evidence that suggested the defendant was cultivating the plant for anyone but himself or for financial gain, so no crime was being committed. A similar ruling by the Lazio Regional Administrative Court found hemp flowers and leaves were not narcotics, providing a break for the country’s hemp and CBD industry.
