The paramilitary Carabinieri, a tough force which until recently was stationed in Iraq, could be sent into schools to search for drugs. The proposal follows widespread alarm in Italy at what is seen as rapidly growing drug use among the young. Livia Turco, the health minister in Romano Prodi's centre-left government, said the consumption and trafficking of drugs by students had reached the point at which it was time to begin checks throughout Italy. Ms Turco, who has control of a Carabinieri detachment, said her initiative reflected "a sense of responsibility towards parents". [continues 409 words]
Parents in the Italian city of Milan are being offered do-it-yourself narcotics testing kits to check their children for drug use. Over the next few days, the city's council will send letters to almost 4,000 homes with children between the ages of 13 and 16. Inside will be a voucher that can be exchanged at chemists for one of the kits. Similar to a home pregnancy test, the kit requires a urine sample and can be used to reveal traces of any one of five drug groups, from amphetamines to opiates. [continues 210 words]
John Hooper Reports on the Government's Efforts to Force Through a New, Zero-Tolerance Drugs Policy Anyone planning a holiday in Italy and thinking of enjoying a quiet spliff while, let's say, watching the sun go down over the Bay of Naples, had better think again. A vote in the Italian parliament yesterday means that a new, zero-tolerance policy on drugs is almost certain to become law within the next couple of months. With the aroma of defiantly smoked cannabis floating in the air outside, lawmakers approved a measure that abolishes the distinction between hard and soft drugs and makes possession, as well as dealing, a criminal offence. [continues 506 words]
Cannabis and Ecstasy Users Face Tough Penalties in Crackdown ROME -- Furious argument erupted in Italy yesterday over plans by Silvio Berlusconi's hard-right government for a sharp u-turn on drug control. A bill drawn up by the deputy prime minister and leader of Italy's former neo-fascists, Gianfranco Fini, abolishes distinctions between "hard" and "soft" drugs and introduces stiff penalties for possession as well as trafficking. Cannabis users caught with more than a few days' supply face jail sentences. Clubbers found with a single ecstasy tablet could have their passports impounded. [continues 494 words]
