Cannabis bill skips committee stage, directly to House floor

Center-right files 1,700 amendments in bid to bog it down
ANSA (Italy)
Thursday, July 21, 2016

A bill to legalize cannabis will go to the Lower House, the justice and social affairs committees decided when presented with 1,700 amendments. Most were filed by the conservative Popular Area (AP) caucus made up of the small New Center Right (NCD) party and the small centrist UDC party. The NCD is a junior ally in Premier Matteo Renzi's left-right government coalition. The amendments will likely be refiled, which means the bill won't be voted on until September. (According to a survey by IPSOS, over 70% of Italians believe that the country should implement a model of marijuana regulation. See also: Italy will debate a proposal to legalize cannabis)