Italian Army's New Task: Reduce the Cost of Weed

While the Italian military's record as a fighting force may not be completely without blemish, it's turning out to be pretty good at growing weed. Medical marijuana is legal in Italy, but since it can be far too expensive to buy at pharmacies, the military was tasked with growing it in a secure location at a military-run factory in Florence, and the first crop is doing well, reports Corriere della Sera via the BBC.

Military authorities say the current price of legal medical marijuana from the Netherlands is up to $40 a gram, but they hope to get it down as low as $5, which is about what it costs when it's bought illegally, according to Reuters. It notes that full Colorado-style legalization of marijuana in Italy is probably a long way away. (Last year, protesters planted 200,000 pot seeds at a US Army base in Italy.)