THC and CBD edibles in Italy are effectively unavailable to the general public. THC edibles have long been illegal outside a medical prescription, and CBD edibles were pulled from legal retail sale in April 2025 when the government reclassified oral CBD products as narcotics. The only lawful way to obtain a cannabis edible in Italy today is through a prescription from a licensed physician, filled at an authorized pharmacy.
THC Edibles
Any edible containing more than trace amounts of THC is illegal in Italy without a medical prescription. There is no recreational cannabis program, no licensed dispensaries, and no legal threshold that makes a THC gummy, chocolate, or baked good permissible for the general public. THC is classified as a narcotic under Presidential Decree 309/1990, and producing, selling, or possessing THC edibles falls under the same criminal framework that governs other controlled substances.1European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Penalties for Drug Law Offences at a Glance
That status is not new and not contested in Italian law. The complicated story is CBD.
CBD Edibles After the 2025 Ban
Until early 2025, CBD edibles sat in a murky legal space. Hundreds of “cannabis light” shops across Italy sold CBD oils, gummies, and infused foods, relying on the argument that products with negligible THC had no psychotropic effect and therefore fell outside the Narcotics Act. Courts split on the question and enforcement was inconsistent.
That space closed in 2025. On April 12, 2025, Decree-Law 48/2025 took effect and prohibited the production and marketing of industrial hemp inflorescences and their derivatives. The decree extended narcotics penalties to operators in the hemp sector, which means selling hemp-derived products, including CBD edibles, is now treated as a criminal offense.2European Parliament. Adoption of Decree-Law No 48 of 11 April 2025
Days later, on April 16, 2025, Italy’s Regional Administrative Court (TAR) rejected an appeal by hemp industry associations challenging an earlier Ministry of Health decree that classified oral CBD formulations as narcotics. The court sided with the Ministry, invoking the precautionary principle. A temporary suspension granted in late 2024 was reversed by that ruling.
On June 4, 2025, the Italian Senate passed a broader security decree formally banning all processing, distribution, trade, and transport of cultivated hemp inflorescences. The combined effect is clear enough: CBD edibles, CBD oils for oral use, and other ingestible hemp products are no longer legally available through retail channels in Italy.
The Medical Prescription Route
Italy legalized medical cannabis in 2015 through a Ministry of Health decree that authorized national production and the preparation of cannabis-based formulations.3Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Medical Cannabis Doctors can prescribe cannabis-based preparations when conventional treatments have failed or are inadequate. Specialized pharmacies compound the preparations, either from cannabis grown domestically at the Military Chemical Pharmaceutical Establishment in Florence or from legally imported material authorized by the Ministry.
The system is tightly controlled. You cannot walk into a pharmacy and buy a medical cannabis product off the shelf. The prescription must be filled at an authorized pharmacy, and the preparations carry strict traceability requirements. There is no fixed THC percentage cap for medical cannabis, but each preparation must conform to pharmaceutical standards and the prescribing doctor’s specifications.
Travelers who hold a legitimate medical cannabis prescription from another country should carry full documentation, and even then Italian customs may scrutinize the product regardless of its medical status abroad.
Penalties
Italian law draws a firm line between personal possession and distribution. Neither is treated lightly.
Personal Possession
Possessing small amounts of cannabis for personal use is technically decriminalized, meaning it triggers administrative rather than criminal penalties. Under Article 75 of DPR 309/90, personal possession can lead to the suspension of your driver’s license, passport, firearms license, or residence permit. For cannabis, those suspensions run from one month to three months.1European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Penalties for Drug Law Offences at a Glance For a first offense considered particularly minor, authorities may issue a formal warning instead. Decriminalization is not legalization: real consequences follow, and the incident goes on an administrative record even if no criminal record results.
Selling, Producing, or Trafficking
Supply offenses are prosecuted under Article 73 of DPR 309/90. Standard penalties run from 6 to 20 years of imprisonment and fines between €26,000 and €260,000. Where the offense is considered minor based on quantity or quality, penalties drop to 6 months to 4 years and fines between €1,032 and €10,329.1European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Penalties for Drug Law Offences at a Glance
Because Decree-Law 48/2025 extended narcotics penalties to hemp sector operators, shop owners who were legally selling CBD edibles in 2024 now face the same criminal framework that applies to drug trafficking.2European Parliament. Adoption of Decree-Law No 48 of 11 April 2025
Bringing Edibles Into Italy
Carrying THC edibles into Italy is illegal regardless of their status in your home country. Italian customs treats cannabis products as controlled substances, and importing them without authorization can lead to confiscation, detention, and criminal charges. Legal cannabis in Amsterdam, Canada, or a U.S. state has no bearing on Italian law.
CBD edibles are now in the same position. Even before the 2025 crackdown, ingestible CBD products required Novel Food authorization from the European Commission, and no CBD product has yet received it.4European Food Safety Authority. Frequently Asked Questions – Cannabidiol With oral CBD products now classified as narcotics in Italy, bringing a CBD gummy or oil through customs amounts to importing a controlled substance. The product being lawfully sold in Germany or France will not protect you at the border.
If you carry any cannabis-related edible into Italy, expect it to be confiscated at minimum. Depending on the product and quantity, administrative sanctions or criminal charges may follow.
What Could Change
At the EU level, CBD’s food status is still unresolved. The European Commission classified CBD as a “novel food” because significant human consumption before May 1997 was not demonstrated, which means it needs pre-market safety authorization before it can be sold in food or supplements.5European Commission. Food Safety – Novel Food In February 2026, EFSA set a provisional safe intake level for CBD in food supplements, but with narrow conditions and significant data gaps still open.6European Food Safety Authority. Provisional Safe Level for Cannabidiol as a Novel Food
Even if the EU eventually approves CBD novel food applications, Italy’s domestic classification of oral CBD as a narcotic would need to be reversed before CBD edibles could legally return to Italian shelves. The European Parliament has questioned whether Decree-Law 48/2025 conflicts with EU regulations that authorize the cultivation of certified hemp varieties, but as of early 2026 the Italian restrictions remain in force.2European Parliament. Adoption of Decree-Law No 48 of 11 April 2025 Until that tension is resolved, a prescription remains the only legal path to a cannabis edible in Italy.