Ever higher active ingredient in cannabis - Mantovano

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 1 - Cannabis available in Italy has an increasingly high active ingredient and the concentration of THC has risen from 1-2% 40 years ago to 25% last year, Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano told the parliamentary commission on childhood Tuesday illustrating government action against use of the drug.
    "Already just 1% can cause serious effects on a subject in developmental age," he stressed.
    "Extreme caution must therefore be used in defining a substance that has 25% of active ingredient as light: it is like saying that half a litre of beer is equal to half a litre of grappa".
    In 2023, Mantovano told the panel, the consumption of narcotic substances exceeded pre-pandemic levels and 516 thousand students (34% of those between 15 and 17 years old) reported having consumed a substance at least once, while 4.5% use it frequently. (ANSA).