Did you know that growing this plant in the garden is illegal? You risk getting a thousand euros in fines. Let’s find out which plant we are talking about and why it is illegal to grow it in the garden!
An illegal plant could be in your garden and if you are caught you risk getting a thousand euros fined. But which plant are we talking about and why is it illegal to grow it in the garden? We are talking about Cannabis, a plant that you can grow following the instructions indicated by the legislation, but also about other illegal plants for which there are heavy fines if they are found in your garden. Let’s find out everything about these plants!
Growing cannabis in the garden
Being able to cultivate your vegetable garden or garden in a personalized way is a wonderful thing to have a space equipped according to your needs. However, to act in compliance with the regulations and cultivate the permissible plants it is essential to avoid heavy fines.
It is therefore necessary to find out which plants can be grown and which are considered illegal. The latter are those that cannot be cultivated because you risk receiving penalties of up to a thousand euros and more. In Italy it is forbidden to buy plants from private individuals, so you have to be careful, as for example in the case of cannabis, a plant derived from Indian hemp (THCAS).
The legal one in Italy is the plant that has reduced levels of THC. To grow cannabis without breaking the law, it is generally enough to have a maximum of 3 seedlings. However, as emerged from a ruling by the Supreme Court, the cultivation of 12 seedlings with rudimentary methods was not considered a crime.
In addition, the absence of tools to package cannabis attests that it is not grown for the purpose of dealing but for personal use.
Illegal alien species
In our country, plants that seem harmless but are actually prohibited by law are often grown. These are plants belonging to invasive alien species from various areas of the earth. Their cultivation is regulated by Regulation 1143/2014 which includes a series of EU regulations.
To comply with these regulations, Legislative Decree no. 230 of 15 December 2017 was approved in Italy. The decree establishes that it is forbidden to hold, cultivate and sell invasive alien species in Italy. Here are some illegal plants that you cannot grow under penalty of a fine.
Illegal cultivation of the Eichhornia crassipes plant
Also known as water hyacinth, this perennial herbaceous plant is widely spread in various tropical areas, such as in the Amazon. This plant is often cultivated because it is decorative and is used to make waterways and ponds more suggestive.
Despite being a modest plant, the water hyacinth is considered an invasive aquatic plant as it can be dangerous for other plants since it can prevent their development.
Argyreia nervosa, illegal plant
A plant native to the Indian subcontinent, Argyreia nervosa is one of the illegal plants in Italy that cannot be cultivated. Widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, the seeds contain alkaloids with a psychoactive effect.
In fact, they cause typical effects such as those caused when taking LSD, such as loss of consciousness, hallucinations, slowed coordination, tachycardia, blurred vision.
Ambrosia Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.
This splendid plant of North American origin can cause rhinitis and very serious asthmatic crises. It is a plant that has a tendency to colonize the land and grows along the banks of rivers and along the edges of roads. It infests to excess, it also takes root in areas where sunflower, corn and soybeans are grown.
An annual plant, it has erect, striped stems, very branched at the top, hairy and reddish in color when it becomes adult. The height varies from 20 to 90 cm, but can reach 2 meters in exceptional cases.
The leaves are velvety and very jagged and have a uniform green color on both sides. Those that produce pollen are the male flowers, which are grouped in a yellowish-green inflorescence, while the female ones are located in the axils of the leaves and are very small.
