Prime CBD Flower
The land of mass is now also the land of marijuana, or at least a “light” version of the most controversial herb on the planet. Of course, the Italy we’re talking about, where the new craze in specialty stores is the sale of hemp flowers, a “cousin” of marijuana that also belongs to the Cannabis genus. Although the sale of medical marijuana has been legal in the country since 2006, recreational use is still banned, although Italians seem to have found a way to solve the problem…
A law passed there in December 2016 released the production of hemp, whose psychoactive effect is at most 0.3% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Just for comparison purposes, marijuana THC varies between 10% and 30%, depending on factors such as the growing environment and processing. The result is that you can now find hemp flowers being sold in florists in Rome and other cities, with suggestive names like “K8”, “Chill Haus”, “Cannabismile White Pablo” and “Marley CBD”.
In theory, CBD flowers can only be purchased by “collectors”, who do not need to confirm anything beyond the age of majority. Ingesting them or consuming them in any other way is also strictly prohibited, but as far as we know the authorities do not go after anyone to check what happens. And the success is so great that the phenomenon is already being called “the green gold rush”.
Study Assesses the Growth of Cannabis Use in Italy
The objective is to explore a link between the increase in the use of CBD and the decrease in the use of prescription drugs in the country.
A new study has shown how cannabidiol ( CBD) products available on the market are shaping the consumption of the most common prescription drugs in the country.
Local availability of cannabis flowers, known as soft cannabis, has led to an 11.5% reduction in anxiolytic consumption. There was also a 10% drop in sedatives and 4.8% in antipsychotics. In addition, a reduction in the consumption of antiepileptics, antidepressants, opioids and anti-migraine was found.
To conduct the study, the Italian researchers used a dataset, recording monthly drug sales and mapping availability in the local market of a retailer selling CBD flowers.
They were based on data from 106 provinces for 2 years. The CBD product data was acquired using a web scrape, from the sites they mapped online.
Data on controlled drug sales were obtained by the Italian Association of Federfarma Pharmacy Owners and by the Italian National Health System.
The CBD in Italy
Since the CBD market emerged in Italy in 2017, the number of dispensed drug sales has decreased by approximately 1.6% on average.
The researchers considered seven categories of medications, and they include: Opioids, Anxiolytics, Sedatives, anti-migraine, antiepileptics, Antipsychotics, Antidepressants.
The study relates the reduction in the consumption of these drugs with recognized and announced clinical effects of CBD. Accessibility encouraged some patients to try cannabidiol for relief rather than taking prescription drugs.
Italian cannabis law, established in 2017, allowed farmers to grow plants with a THC level below 0.5%.
However, the cannabis law does not regulate the sale of the plant’s flowers. On the one hand, the sale of cannabis flowers is not allowed, but, on the other hand, it is not prohibited.
This lack of regulation created a legal loophole, so Italian CBD companies and retailers began selling cannabis flowers with THC levels below 0.5%.
This legal loophole created a new market, it has created employment for more than 10,000 people and opened around 1,500 companies with a turnover of 150 million dollars.
Italians began to recognize the benefits of CBD and use it for various purposes. Cannabidiol flowers also attracted new consumers who used to use various other medications. According to the study, they may have found mild cannabis a more effective treatment than traditional ones.
Patients can find relief with CBD flowers, which are less expensive and do not need a prescription.