Italian Radical Occasion Secretary’s Arrest for Hashish Mild Protest Clarified Amid Authorized Crackdown
Turin, Italy, Might 24, 2025 – Filippo Blengino, secretary of Radicali Italiani, was arrested in Turin for promoting “hashish mild” on the social gathering’s headquarters, a deliberate act of civil disobedience to protest Italy’s current decree classifying low-THC hashish merchandise as equal to high-THC marijuana. The arrest has drawn important consideration, because it highlights the continuing conflict between Italy’s drug reform activists and tightening authorities rules.
On Might 22, 2025, Blengino opened a short lived store at Radicali Italiani’s Turin workplace, promoting hashish mild—merchandise with THC ranges under 0.5%, legally offered in Italy since 2016 for his or her non-psychoactive properties on account of excessive CBD content material. In accordance with posts on X by customers like @elio_vito, Blengino reported himself to police, admitting to the gross sales to problem a brand new safety decree that imposes penalties of as much as 20 years for distributing hashish mild, treating it as a narcotic. He was detained and charged with drug trafficking, regardless of the product’s authorized standing below prior legal guidelines, as confirmed by Il Fatto Quotidiano.
The Radicali Italiani, a celebration lengthy advocating for drug decriminalization, known as the arrest “a symptom of flawed coverage.” Their assertion on X argued that equating hashish mild with laborious medication ignores scientific proof and punishes legit companies. The 2016 regulation allowed hemp-derived merchandise with low THC, fostering a €40 million business, however the Meloni authorities’s 2025 decree has reclassified these merchandise, creating authorized ambiguity. Blengino’s authorized staff contends that hashish mild, with negligible THC, doesn’t meet the authorized threshold for managed substances, a place supported by a 2019 Italian court docket ruling.
Public response, as seen on X, is cut up. Supporters, utilizing hashtags like #FreeBlengino, view the arrest as an assault on free speech, with one person posting, “Arresting somebody for promoting authorized CBD is absurd—Italy’s going backward.” Critics, nonetheless, argue that Blengino’s stunt dangers undermining drug enforcement, with one X person stating, “Frightening police with a ‘store’ was asking for hassle.” The case mirrors a 2022 Malta incident, the place a hashish mild distributor confronted comparable fees, reflecting broader European tensions over hemp regulation.
Blengino’s preliminary listening to is scheduled for June 2025, with potential implications for Italy’s hashish mild market and free expression. The arrest underscores the friction between reformist activism and conservative drug insurance policies, leaving activists and companies awaiting readability on Italy’s authorized stance.
