Italy's drug policies are starting to move in a positive direction since a new prime minister, Romano Prodi, took office in May 2006. A bill to decriminalize personal use and reduce penalties for dealing drugs--especially marijuana--is currently up for consideration in Italy's legislature.

The country's current drug laws are based on legislation from 1990 which gave a nod to the U.S. zero tolerance approach, making personal possession and use of illicit drugs a criminal offense. In a 1993 referendum, 55% of voters decided to decriminalize personal use, but punishments such as the suspension of a drug user's driver's license or passport remained in place.

Under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi (2001 - 2006), Italy fully embraced U.S.-style prohibitionist ideology, enacting a more harsh drug law. This law, known as the Fini-Giovanardi law after the ministers who sponsored it, erased scheduling distinctions, putting marijuana on par with drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The law also criminalized personal drug use, increased penalties for dealing, and restricted treatment options.

A new bill was introduced in May 2006 to reverse many of the Fini-Giovanardi policies, but the Prodi administration has yet to consider it. On January 23, 2007, 40 members of Parliament increased pressure for change by asking the president of the Camera dei Deputati (Chamber of Deputies) to choose a date for discussion of the bill.

In the meantime, incremental changes have been taking place. In November 2006, the Italian Minister of Health issued an administrative decree raising the amount of THC a person can possess for personal use. The previous limit was 500 milligrams, and this has been raised to one gram.

Changing the drug law in Italy is part of the Prodi government's stated program, so reform-minded members of Parliament and reform groups such as the Forum Droghe have made a commitment to continue pressuring the administration for change. The Forum Droghe noted after its annual association meeting in June 2006 that Italy must reverse its policies before the war on drugs ideology permeates law enforcement and public opinion.