4.5 kg of hemp released from seizure in Turin: Prosecutor's Office says no crime committed

TURIN – Four and a half kilograms of "cannabis light" have been returned to their rightful owners. The Turin Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the release of 4.5 kg of hemp, ruling out the existence of a criminal offense.

The decision is based on a crucial finding: the THC content was below 0.5%, a threshold considered by the scientific community to be incapable of producing psychotropic or intoxicating effects.

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The Seizure and the Prosecutor's Decision

The measure comes at the end of investigations carried out on the seized substance, as part of checks on the marketing of hemp-derived products.
Analyses showed that the THC present did not exceed 0.5%, ruling out any ability to alter the psychophysical state.

Based on these elements, the Public Prosecutor ordered the release and return of the entire quantity, deeming that there were no grounds for criminal proceedings.

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THC below 0.5%: Criminal Offensiveness Ruled Out

In motivating its decision, the Prosecutor's Office referred to a central principle of criminal law:
conduct can only be punished if it is concretely harmful to the protected legal interest.

In the case of the seized "cannabis light," the detected THC percentage—below 0.5%—was deemed incapable of producing intoxicating effects.
In the absence of intoxicating efficacy, the essential element for configuring a crime relating to narcotic substances is missing.

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The Role of the Defense

The release also represents a significant result on the defensive level.
The work of Attorney Simonetti was decisive, as he based the defense line on scientific data and the principle of concrete offensiveness.

The defense highlighted how the seized substance, despite being hemp inflorescences, was not capable of producing any psychotropic effects, making the continuation of criminal proceedings illegitimate.

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The Regulatory Context

The measure is particularly relevant in the framework outlined by Legislative Decree 48/2025, which introduced a generalized ban on the marketing of hemp inflorescences.
However, the Turin Public Prosecutor's decision clarifies that the regulatory ban does not automatically translate into criminal liability.

Even in the presence of a restrictive norm, criminal law continues to require a concrete evaluation of the substance's effects.

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A Significant Signal in the Debate

The release of 4.5 kg of "cannabis light" represents a relevant signal in a phase of strong uncertainty for the sector.
The Prosecutor's Office reiterated that hemp with less than 0.5% THC cannot be equated with narcotic substances, in the absence of intoxicating efficacy.

A principle that, once again, puts science at the center as a decisive parameter for defining criminal intervention.