Canapa Mundi is Here: The First Industrial and Therapeutic Cannabis Fair to be Held in Rome

Canapa Mundi, to be held in Rome for the first time from 20-22 February, is an international exhibition dedicated to the applications of cannabis and its by-products in almost every area, and an event that is sure to mark an important step on Italy's path towards the legalisation of marijuana. Dinafem will be there as a main sponsor.This fair joins the Canapa in Mostra fair (Naples), held in late October, making Italy a key country on the European cannabis circuit.

The road that made this possible stretches back to 2013, after Italy voted in favour of allowing the use of medicinal cannabis, a decision that led, at the end of last year, to the Italian Army being tapped to grow therapeutic marijuana for the nation's patients. The measure was intended to spare patients from having to resort to cannabis products from other countries (much more expensive) or the black market (which provides material of dubious origins). Even regions like Apulia have become pioneers in this regard, able to produce its own marijuana for medicinal use without having to import it, something never allowed in the country before.

The fair also comes after the Fini-Giovanardi Law was repealed last year, legislation that imposed harsh punishments for cannabis possession. The law, approved under Silvio Berlusconi's government in 2006, tripled sentences for the possession, sale and cultivation of cannabis, which shot from a maximum of 6 years of prison up to 20. On 12 February 2014 the Constitutional Court annulled the Fini-Giovanardi Law, ruling that it was unconstitutional. Since then Italy has reverted to its previous laws, which imposed much lighter punishments on consumers and growers.

In fact, home cultivation in Italy has grown in popularity since the infamous Giovanardi Law was declared unconstitutional, as tens of thousands are circumventing the black market for marijuana, opting to grow their own, superior-quality plants instead. One of the Dinafem strains currently enjoying the greatest success is feminized OG Kush, whose flavour has delighted the palates of even the gastronomically demanding Italians. So, there is no better way to raise public awareness regarding this new reality than by inviting citizens to discover first-hand everything surrounding the cannabis industry, which is on the rise.

Canapa Mundi, the international hemp fair, will run from Friday to Sunday, from 10:30 am to 8:00 pm. Initial plans called for it to be held at the Tendastrisce Theatre, a spacious venue located in the heart of the Italian capital. The organization, however, was forced to change the location due to the impossibility of obtaining all the necessary permits. The new site is the Hotel Pala Cavicchi on the Via R. B. Bandinelli, 130 Rome, a location renowned for the celebration of all types of events, and located just steps from the Via Appia Nuova, about 20 minutes from the centre of Rome.

For the same reason, the daily admission price was dropped to 6 euros (instead of the 8 initially slated), or 15 euros for all three days. The exhibition space, covering almost 1,000 m2, will boast 60 stands representing companies dedicated to the cannabis industry in Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Slovenia, Russia and Canada, among other countries. You'll be able to find us at stand D5-D6-D7-D8, where we will be delighted to see you and show you Dinafem's full catalogue of feminized and autoflowering seeds.

The event's organisers wish to publicise the many qualities of hemp, which they define as a great natural resource, since antiquity put to a number of different purposes (from the production of textiles, to rope, fuel, paper, cosmetics and medicines). A product, however, that in the preceding century was eclipsed by the use of other materials, such as polluting plastics, that have created some of the great environmental problems of our era (not to mention our dependence on petroleum).

This fair is particularly important, above all, because it was not until 2011 that Italians could begin to legally cultivate hemp. Since then they have done so mainly to produce seeds for consumption. There are even many small businesses that have come to work exclusively with industrial cannabis during this time.

This is why an event like this one, which brings together citizens, associations and companies, is so crucial, as it provides the public and its institutions with extensive and well-documented information while describing cannabis's long-standing legacy in Italy, particularly in the region of Campania (Naples), where before prohibition many lived off the production of cannabis for industrial and therapeutic uses.

A long and true tradition

This natural product, which man has known for more than 10,000 years, has numerous applications: the power to relax and to stimulate creativity, provoke empathy and create excitement. According to the Canapa Mundi organization, some peoples, religions and cultures (such as the Rastafari in Jamaica) have even used it to feel closer to God.

A fair of this type can serve to generate awareness regarding medicinal marijuana's efficacy in treating a range of pathologies, as well as to address the cruelty of preventing millions of patients worldwide from having access to this medicine, even when the scientific research on the plant clearly demonstrates its value.

To raise awareness regarding these issues, on Friday 20th there will be a discussion of cannabis's historical uses and applications, intended to convey a whole series of ideas and explain why this product can be useful. Participating on the panel of analysts will be professionals with years of experience in the sector, from Manuela Tolve, with the Lucanapa Association for the protection of the land and the environment through hemp; to representatives of the University of Tuscia Sciences Department, who will speak about the technical aspects of growing cannabis; to Rachel Invernizzi, with the first hemp chain and processing plant in the south of Italy.

On Saturday 21st there will be talks on the right of access to therapeutic cannabis, along with three themed forums: the first (11:30 am), will discuss CBD and other cannabinoids, their therapeutic value, and the way these kinds of medicinal products can be grown and extracted; at the second (at 3:00 pm) several associations will discuss the costs and consequences of prohibition; and at a third (at 5:00 pm) Joep Oomen, a coordinator with the ENCOD (European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies), will explain what a social cannabis club is.

To wrap things up right, on Sunday 22 February there will be an address by Dany Belotherkowsky, an expert in biomedical research, discussing the nutritional value of hemp seeds. His talk will be preceded by Lorenzo Cristianos, a paediatrician who will stress the importance of seed oils for children.

Would you like to know more? Just stop by the fair, where you will also be able to try some hemp-based beer, candies and other foods. And on Saturday you’ll be able to enjoy performances by several DJ´s in a special relaxation area.

In short, this is a fair whose first edition has sparked great expectations. Even before its formal announcement space for exhibitors was already almost taken up, thanks to word-of-mouth publicity for the event. We will be there, so…we'll see you in the Eternal City to enjoy everything that cannabis has to offer!

------------------