Nearly 960 Thousand Italian Teenagers Have Consumed Cocaine To Marijuana

ILLUSTRATION OF UNSPLASH / Plant marijuana

JAKARTA - Nearly 960,000 Italians between the ages of 15 and 19 have consumed illegal substances or drugs at least once, according to the government's annual report to parliament.

It was reported that around 54,000 young people used cocaine in 2023, while around 550,000 claimed to have consumed marijuana at least once, reported by Reuters, Tuesday, June 25.

Alfredo Mantovano, deputy minister in the far-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said illegal substances were spreading like "pandemic" in Italy and there was little awareness of the dangers.

The government said drugs worth around 16.4 billion euros (17.59 billion US dollars) were purchased in Italy in 2022.

Much of it is a derivative of cocaine and marijuana, up from 15.5 billion euros in 2021 and close to levels before the COVID-19 pandemic reduced consumption.

The government mentioned the need to raise awareness about the use of fentanyl, a deadly drug that has not been widely distributed in the country, but has been the main cause of overdose in the United States.

"The phenomenon unfortunately also enters Italy," Justice Minister Carlo Nordic told reporters.

Police actions against drug cases have also increased in Italy. Authorities seized nearly 89 tonnes of illegal substances by 2023, up 17 percent compared to the previous year, and about 27,700 people were reported to have committed drug-related offenses, the government said.