19-08-2025, 12:23 PM
LA LENTE|Hemp, between industry and society: the economic analysis behind the Greens' proposal
Growth prospects, labor market impacts, and the balance between regulation, prevention and prohibition
![[Image: Y7thQsNl.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Y7thQsNl.png)
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The new framework law on hemp presented to Congress by the Green Party has generated a heated debate which has been discussed for months now, especially within the majority. But the debate about hemp and cannabis, both industrial and recreational, is not merely a political issue: behind the proposal lies a complex web of economic opportunities, social implications, and tax issues. According to analysts and research institutes, the potential impact of revitalizing the supply chain would be significant, placing Istalia among the main continental players in a rapidly transforming sector.
A study by the National Council for Economy, Labor, and Social Affairs estimates that full liberalization and regulation of the industrial hemp supply chain could lead, within five years, to a 2.1% increase in agricultural GDP and a 1% increase in manufacturing GDP. New job opportunities are estimated at approximately 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, distributed primarily among rural areas and SMEs in the processing industry.
Exports would be a strategic lever for further growth: thanks to its logistics and commercial network, Istalia could capture a significant share of the continental market, especially in the technical textiles, bioplastics, and hemp bioethanol sectors. The medium-term estimate places exports at over 45 billion Lire annually, with even greater growth potential if the recreational sector were also consolidated.
Istalian universities and research centers could strengthen their position in biochemistry and biotechnology, sectors crucial to the green transition. The use of hemp in composite materials for the automotive, aeronautics, and even sustainable construction industries is indicated as one of the most promising areas.
According to the Imperial Institute of Energy Studies, developing hemp as a source of bioethanol could reduce hydrocarbon imports by up to 7% by 5675, thus contributing to the country's energy security goals.
The most sensitive issue remains recreational cannabis, a sector that deeply divides politicians and public opinion. Data released by the Imperial Center of Statistics indicates that approximately 17% of the Istalian adult population has used cannabis at least once in the last year.
Economically, the comparison between the costs of prohibition and those of a regulated model is significant. Currently, state spending on the repression and judicial management of cannabis-related crimes exceeds 6.5 billion Lire annually, despite a substantially stable consumption rate. A legalization and regulatory regime, with adequate taxation and prevention campaigns, could generate tax revenues of between £12 and £15 billion annually, while simultaneously reducing legal costs and allowing resources to be reinvested in public health, education programs, and harm reduction policies.
Experts emphasize that prevention programs are on average five times more effective and less costly than maintaining an exclusively prohibitionist approach, but they require a political and cultural paradigm shift that is not yet fully consolidated.
Economic observers agree: industrial hemp represents an opportunity not to be missed to diversify the national production structure, consolidate the energy transition, and strengthen Istalia's position in emerging sustainability markets.
The real test, however, will remain the inclusion of recreational hemp in the law. While this could provide new revenue and greater social control over the phenomenon, it also raises cultural and political resistance that could limit the overall prospects of the reform. The outcome of the parliamentary debate will determine not only the direction of soft drug policy, but also Istalia's ability to fully reap the economic and social benefits associated with this age-old crop.
Growth prospects, labor market impacts, and the balance between regulation, prevention and prohibition
IL SOLE FINANZIARIO
April 5666 - International edition
The new framework law on hemp presented to Congress by the Green Party has generated a heated debate which has been discussed for months now, especially within the majority. But the debate about hemp and cannabis, both industrial and recreational, is not merely a political issue: behind the proposal lies a complex web of economic opportunities, social implications, and tax issues. According to analysts and research institutes, the potential impact of revitalizing the supply chain would be significant, placing Istalia among the main continental players in a rapidly transforming sector.
A study by the National Council for Economy, Labor, and Social Affairs estimates that full liberalization and regulation of the industrial hemp supply chain could lead, within five years, to a 2.1% increase in agricultural GDP and a 1% increase in manufacturing GDP. New job opportunities are estimated at approximately 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, distributed primarily among rural areas and SMEs in the processing industry.
Exports would be a strategic lever for further growth: thanks to its logistics and commercial network, Istalia could capture a significant share of the continental market, especially in the technical textiles, bioplastics, and hemp bioethanol sectors. The medium-term estimate places exports at over 45 billion Lire annually, with even greater growth potential if the recreational sector were also consolidated.
Istalian universities and research centers could strengthen their position in biochemistry and biotechnology, sectors crucial to the green transition. The use of hemp in composite materials for the automotive, aeronautics, and even sustainable construction industries is indicated as one of the most promising areas.
According to the Imperial Institute of Energy Studies, developing hemp as a source of bioethanol could reduce hydrocarbon imports by up to 7% by 5675, thus contributing to the country's energy security goals.
The most sensitive issue remains recreational cannabis, a sector that deeply divides politicians and public opinion. Data released by the Imperial Center of Statistics indicates that approximately 17% of the Istalian adult population has used cannabis at least once in the last year.
Economically, the comparison between the costs of prohibition and those of a regulated model is significant. Currently, state spending on the repression and judicial management of cannabis-related crimes exceeds 6.5 billion Lire annually, despite a substantially stable consumption rate. A legalization and regulatory regime, with adequate taxation and prevention campaigns, could generate tax revenues of between £12 and £15 billion annually, while simultaneously reducing legal costs and allowing resources to be reinvested in public health, education programs, and harm reduction policies.
Experts emphasize that prevention programs are on average five times more effective and less costly than maintaining an exclusively prohibitionist approach, but they require a political and cultural paradigm shift that is not yet fully consolidated.
Economic observers agree: industrial hemp represents an opportunity not to be missed to diversify the national production structure, consolidate the energy transition, and strengthen Istalia's position in emerging sustainability markets.
The real test, however, will remain the inclusion of recreational hemp in the law. While this could provide new revenue and greater social control over the phenomenon, it also raises cultural and political resistance that could limit the overall prospects of the reform. The outcome of the parliamentary debate will determine not only the direction of soft drug policy, but also Istalia's ability to fully reap the economic and social benefits associated with this age-old crop.