Despite regulatory gaps, the light cannabis, in addition to the job opportunities provided, around 10 thousand new jobs for around 300 million in annual turnover, has actively contributed to making reduce illicit marijuana trafficking.
As in countries where cannabis is legalized for recreational use, consumers prefer to go to an authorized shop and purchase a controlled substance than turning to drug dealers. Substance on which taxes are paid that replenish state coffers and can be used for socially useful initiatives.
As proof of this, here comes one study conducted by the departments of Economic Sciences and Statistics ofUniversity of Salerno together with Dr. Leonardo Madio ofUniversity of York, which analyzed the influence of the low-THC cannabis market on the illegal marijuana market.
Light cannabis reduces marijuana dealing: the study
The research, published in April 2019, he compared and cross-referenced the data relating to monthly seizures of marijuana on a provincial basis from 2016 (the year in which the law promoting industrial hemp in Italy was introduced) to 2018 and the data relating to the geographical position of the shops selling light cannabis.
From the results it can be seen that Marijuana is the most consumed narcotic substance in the world, but "The legalization of cannabis light has led to a reduction up to 14% of seizures of illegal marijuana for each point of sale in each province and an 8% reduction in the availability of hashish". But it doesn't end here because "calculations across all 106 provinces surveyed suggest that i revenues lost by criminal organizations amount to approximately 200 million euros per year".
"These results - the research concludes - support the argument that the supply of illegal drugs is replaced from the entry of official and legal resellers."
