Magi against Meloni on drugs: “If the state doesn’t take care of it, the mafia will take care of it”

Riccardo Magi he is furious after the question and answer in the Chamber with the premier Giorgia Meloni. The Più Europa deputy held up a sign in the Chamber of Montecitorio Groups with the words “If the State doesn’t take care of it, the mafia will take care of it”, that was enough to be accused of “intimidation”.

Honorable Magi, Meloni replied that he is not intimidated.
«But let’s not joke, I am a non-violent and I have not tried to intimidate anyone. I seek political confrontation for the incontrovertible evidence that demonstrates the failure of prohibition. The premier yelled at me and there was a lot of confusion in the Chamber. Her nervousness is the ferocious face of those who don’t realize that her policies are the most welcome to drug mafias ».

Yet the government-sponsored day was simply against drugs.
«We listened to a kermesse with characters from the world of entertainment essentially organized to say that drugs hurt – something we can agree on – but without giving any data or a political reading of what the government wants to do, which is what what we really need”.

What should the government do?
“Legalize cannabis for recreational use. For thirty years, we have had one of the most repressive laws in Europe. We have filled Italian prisons with drug users without the consumption decreasing. On the contrary, it is constantly increasing. In more advanced democracies, such as Canada, some US states and some European countries such as Germany, governments regulate cannabis precisely because they pursue public interests. In this way, citizens’ health is protected and the illegal market is fought. No more fake news from the government, peppered with do-gooders”.

Which fake news are you referring to in particular?
«One is that cannabis is a gateway drug, that is, it leads to the use of other drugs. This statement is false. In Italy, there are an estimated 6 million cannabis users. If what is claimed were true, we should have a few million more new heroin users every year. It would be like saying that all alcoholics started out with a simple glass of wine and that we should ban it because of that.”

The premier, however, spoke data in hand.
“But he didn’t provide any sources. All drugs are bad, of course. But according to a study published in the journal lancet, cannabis is classified as less harmful than other legal substances such as coffee or alcohol. In the prime minister’s speech there is a simplification and trivialization of all substances, while regulation by the state would allow citizens to better understand the risks and know what they are buying.

With legalization, it is said, consumption would increase.
«This is another fake news denied by countries where there is a legal market that replaces the illegal market. Legalization and regulation of the cannabis market could generate significant tax revenues for the government, as well as create new jobs and stimulate the cannabis industry.

Is Italy wrong to differentiate cannabis for medical use from cannabis for recreational use?
«In 2007, Italy legalized the therapeutic use for some specific medical conditions, such as chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and cancer therapy. In 2013, the medical cannabis supply program was established through the State Pharmacy, but this monopoly is absurd, it is as if cannabis were very dangerous».

How are you going to move now?
«It is essential to inform the public opinion in the face of disinformation on the part of the government. Then there is parliamentary work. We have presented two bills: one concerning the legalization of the cannabis trade and the other concerning cultivation for personal use. The latter proposal had arrived in the Chamber during the last legislature but then the government fell. It is now important to work to understand the possibilities for mobilizing citizens, including through a possible referendum. During the summer of 2021, a strong popular push emerged on this issue, but unfortunately the Constitutional Court prevented citizens from expressing themselves through the vote. However, it should be noted that as many as 650,000 people have signed up to support these initiatives.».

The prime minister claims that with her intervention she was only looking for visibility.
“I’m used to staying at three per cent, she was there and you have to put yourself in the order of ideas that she will go back”.