⚖️ Legal Status at a Glance — Rome, Italy
Overview
Rome draws tens of millions of visitors a year, and none of them can buy cannabis legally: Italy has no coffee shops, clubs or tolerated retail. The single most important fact for a visitor: possessing a small amount for yourself is not a crime, but it is not free either. Police seize it and open a file with the Prefecture of Rome, which can suspend your documents rather than fine you.
The other trap is the "cannabis light" shops that once sold low-THC hemp flower. That trade has been banned since April 2025; a leaf sign in a window means nothing.
The Law Right Now
Italy's drug law is DPR 309/1990 (the Consolidated Drugs Act). Under Article 75, buying, receiving or possessing cannabis for personal use is an administrative offence. There is no money fine. Instead the Prefect can impose one or more of: suspension of your driving licence, passport or firearms licence, or, for non-EU citizens, suspension of or a ban on a tourist residence permit, for 1 to 3 months for cannabis. For a minor first case the Prefect can instead issue a formal warning not to use drugs again.
Selling, supplying or growing cannabis is a crime under Article 73: 2 to 6 years in prison and a fine of €5,164 to €77,468. Minor cases under Article 73(5) carry 6 months to 5 years and €1,032 to €10,329 since the 2023 "Caivano" decree. Handing cannabis to someone else, even for free, can be charged as supply.
Article 18 of Decree-Law 48/2025 (the Security Decree, converted by Law 80/2025) bans the import, processing, possession, transport and sale of hemp flowers and their extracts, whatever their THC content, and brings violations under the narcotics law. Many shops have closed.
The reformed Highway Code (Law 177/2024, in force December 2024) rewrote Article 187: driving after taking drugs is now a crime without proof of impairment, punished by a €1,500–€6,000 fine, 6 months to 1 year of arrest and a 1–2 year licence suspension.
Medical cannabis is prescription-only, dispensed by pharmacies and partly grown by the Military Chemical Pharmaceutical Plant in Florence.
Realistic Consequences
A tourist stopped with a gram or two in Trastevere, at Termini or in San Lorenzo's nightlife squares typically has the cannabis seized, is identified and is reported to the Prefecture. Nothing is paid on the spot; the case continues with the Prefecture. The document suspensions bite hardest on anyone holding Italian-issued documents or a permit, but do not treat that as immunity: the report is on file either way.
Escalation comes from anything that looks like dealing: several wrapped doses, scales, cash, or buying during a police operation. In early September 2026 San Lorenzo police arrested a man in Via dei Latini for dealing with just 3.2 g of hashish and €30 on him. Dealing spots at Termini and in outer districts such as Tor Bella Monaca (another anti-drug blitz on 11 September 2026) are active police targets.
📡 Regulation Pulse
- 20 October 2026: Constitutional Court hearing listed on Article 18 of the Security Decree (cannabis light ban), after referrals from judges in Brindisi, Trani and Brescia.
- July 2026: of 29 seizure cases monitored by the association Canapa Sativa Italia, 18 ended with products returned to shops.
- May 2026: a passenger from Bangkok is arrested at Fiumicino with 19.5 kg of marijuana; Guardia di Finanza reports 35 trafficking arrests on Thai routes since 2024.
- 29 January 2026: Constitutional Court ruling 10/2026 upholds the new drug-driving offence, but only where the substance level could impair an average driver.
Public Sentiment
Support for legalising soft drugs is falling. Eurispes's Italy 2025 report found only 42% in favour, the lowest since 2019, though about 69% of 18–24-year-olds backed it. The government has moved the other way, and the pushback on cannabis light has come from judges and industry, not voters.
Practical Advice for Visitors
Do not buy from street sellers. Termini, San Lorenzo, Trastevere at night and the outer "piazze di spaccio" are policed, and a purchase during an operation makes you part of a dealing case.
Do not buy hemp flower from a "CBD" or "cannabis light" shop. The 2025 ban applies regardless of THC content, and products can be seized pending the October 2026 court hearing.
Never hand cannabis to anyone. Giving it away, even for free, can be charged as supply under Article 73 rather than personal use.
Do not drive or ride a scooter after using cannabis. A positive roadside test under Article 187 opens a criminal case with a fine of up to €6,000 and a licence suspension of up to 2 years.
Do not carry cannabis into or out of Italy, or through Fiumicino or Ciampino. Guardia di Finanza checks luggage, especially on flights from Thailand; anything beyond a clearly personal amount is prosecuted as trafficking under Article 73.
Keep your ID on you and cooperate. Personal-use cases are settled with the Prefecture, not on the street.
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