Once a very important crop, the cultivation of hemp has seen a significant reduction in Europe for a long time, but it is now subject to direct payments and promotion initiatives. Italy used to be an important producer and exporter of hemp textiles until the Second World War but currently information is lacking regarding the hemp production chain and legislation on the issue is often misunderstood by producers. Moreover, there has been an important development of economic activities connected with hemp, such as the so-called hemp shops or grow shops and the market of a product called cannabis light, the dried inflorescences of industrial hemp. The aim of the study was to investigate 30 Italian hemp farms in order to identify the characteristics of the production chain and the uses of the crop. Some considerations on this sector in the Italian economic and legislative contest are made and an anonymous web survey on the commercial activities associated with hemp (grow shops) was conducted. Most farms are multifunctional, 83% have been set up recently (in the last ten years) and directly as hemp producers. They are run by young entrepreneurs (57% holders under 35) and allow the use of marginal abandoned territories (43% of the farms). The 30 farms cultivate 460 ha of hemp and the extension of the field crops is very variable, from small patches in the mountains of 0.001 ha to more than 100 ha farms in the plains (in particular in Campania region). Almost all the farms use the crop to produce more than one end-product (seeds, flour, decorticated seeds, hemp-beer, seeds for animal nutrition and food oil from seeds, seeds and inflorescences harvested for cosmetic use, herbal use and extraction of active ingredients). In some cases, technical use linked to selling of the dry top inflorescences of industrial hemp for smoking was declared and it was found that there has been a significant increase in grow shops in Italy, from 4 in 2002 to more than 700 in 2018. As emerges from the analyses of European and Italian legislation, there is a need for clear regulations and a system of control by regulatory organisations considering the actual criticalities. At the same time, the renewed appeal of this crop derives from the multiple possibilities of use of the plant and from growing consumer demand for eco-compatible and sustainable products.

Highlights

- In the last few years hemp production in Italy is increasing.
- In Italy there has been an important development of economic activities connected with hemp.
- Regulation and agronomic practices on hemp cultivation in Italy need improvement.

大麻的种植曾经是非常重要的作物，但在欧洲很长一段时间以来却大大减少了，但是现在需要直接付款和推广计划。在第二次世界大战之前，意大利一直是大麻纺织品的重要生产国和出口国，但目前缺乏有关大麻生产链的信息，生产商常常会误解有关该问题的立法。此外，与大麻有关的经济活动也有了重要发展，例如所谓的大麻商店或农作物商店以及大麻轻产品市场，工业大麻的干燥花序。该研究的目的是调查30个意大利大麻农场，以确定生产链的特征和农作物的用途。在意大利经济和立法竞赛中对该部门进行了一些考虑，并对与大麻（种植店）相关的商业活动进行了匿名网络调查。大多数农场都是多功能农场，最近（在过去的十年中）建立了83％的农场，并直接作为大麻生产者。它们由年轻的企业家（年龄在35岁以下的拥有者中的57％）经营，并允许使用边远的废弃领土（占农场的43％）。这30个农场种植了460公顷的大麻，大田作物的种植面积变化很大，从0山区的小片块开始。从001公顷到平原上的100多个农场（尤其是在坎帕尼亚地区）。几乎所有农场都使用农作物生产一种以上的最终产品（种子，面粉，去皮种子，大麻啤酒，用于动物营养的种子以及从种子，种子和花序中收获的用于化妆品用途，草药用途和提取的种子的食用油）有效成分）。在某些情况下，宣布了与销售工业用大麻的干顶花序用于吸烟相关的技术用途，并且发现意大利的种植店已从2002年的4家增加到2018年的700多家。根据欧洲和意大利的法规，监管机构需要考虑到实际的紧急情况，制定明确的法规和控制系统。同时，这种作物的重新吸引力来自使用植物的多种可能性以及消费者对生态兼容和可持续产品的需求不断增长。

强调

-在过去的几年中，意大利的大麻产量正在增加。
-在意大利，与大麻有关的经济活动有了重要发展。
-意大利的大麻种植法规和农艺措施有待改进。