A 48-year-old man with acute
rheumatoid arthritis was acquitted of drug pushing Tuesday after
a court ruled that it was OK for him to exceed the legal limit
of cannabis cultivation because it was for his personal health
use.
Walter De Benedetto was acquitted by an Arezzo court after
growing the cannabis after running out of an adequate supply due
to the COVID crisis.
Therapeutic cannabis, or medical marijuana, has been legal in
Italy for 14 years, but De Benedetto was accused of exceeding
the legal limits for growing it.
Youth Policy Minister Fabiana Dadone was among those calling the
sentence "historic".
De Benedetto himself said "I'm happy, not only for myself but
also for all those who are going through the same difficulties
as me, precisely because the right to treatment with cannabis
for solely therapeutic purposes has been confirmed".
The Radical Party, which has been campaigning for years to
legalise cannabis completely, posted a photo of De Benedetto
captioned "Acquitted!".
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