A row over Bologna council’s decision to distribute free crack pipes has intensified, dividing left and right across Italy. PD MP Andrea De Maria on Thursday defended the initiative, calling right-wing criticism “unfounded and exaggerated.”
The city council, led by PD mayor Matteo Lepore, distributed 300 crack pipes as part of a harm reduction scheme.
Costing around €3,500, the programme aims to reduce illegal crack smoking and support addiction recovery, officials said. “This is about helping people recover, based on criteria recognised by the scientific community,” De Maria said.
He urged political unity against drug trafficking rather than “fueling unnecessary controversy.”
The initiative, launched a year and a half ago, has become a flashpoint in Italy’s wider debate on drug policy.
Senator Marco Lisei of Premier Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) has announced a parliamentary question on the issue. FdI’s Fabio Rampelli accused Bologna of repeating failed “1990s experiments,” saying the move fuels addiction instead of fighting it.
“The laxity of the Left has led to an explosion in drug use,” Rampelli said, rejecting harm reduction approaches.
League deputy leader Silvia Sardone called the measure “a point of no return,” accusing the Left of encouraging drug use. “Why not fund awareness campaigns instead?” Sardone asked.
Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini also attacked the decision, calling it “madness” to spend taxpayers’ money on crack pipes. “Drugs are deadly and disgusting. They must be stopped, not encouraged,” Salvini said.
