NCJ Number
124077
Date Published
1989
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Italy's policy toward drugs has changed from the basically punitive approach of the 1950's to an approach in the 1980's in which drug trafficking is distinguished from consumption and consumers are considered to be patients rather than criminals.
Abstract
The punitive stance posed a dilemma not only for drug abusers but also for parents and others concerned about drug use in people they knew. Thus, drug law was reformed, and current Italian legislation differs not only from the country's past regulations but also from current regulations in other European countries. Thus, the 1986 law reflects the rationale of the 1975 law by offering the choice of treatment or punishment for the convicted drug addict who is willing to begin a course of detoxification. Therefore, Italian legislation also rests on a concept that differs from that of recent international proposals by devoting more attention to the preventive function of penal law than to its purely repressive function. Further liberalization of drug law in Italy is also likely. Footnotes and 49 references.