In Perugia, locals shrug over seemingly widespread drug use

By Andrew Brune and Gator Keighley

It was clear that Perugia has a substantial student population as we perused its main square, Piazza IV Novembre, on a chilly November evening. Our mission was to find people to discuss the student culture of those who attend nearby University of Perugia and University for Foreigners of Perugia, the university where the former American study abroad student Amanda Knox studied.

We approached a man standing outside of a shop in the square. He called himself Max and immediately struck up a conversation before we even had the chance to do so ourselves.

“Do you guys need some help?” Max asked.

“Yeah, do you have some time to talk?” Gator replied, excited that we finally found someone that seemed interested in speaking with us.

“Yeah, yeah. How much are you guys looking for?”

The three of looked at each other and it seemed to hit us all at once.

Max was a drug dealer.

Andrew explained that we were not interested in buying drugs from him and told him what we did want to talk about. Max knew that it would cut into his business time, but he reluctantly agreed to talk about Perugia and its college students.

Despite living in Perugia the past two years, Max discussed the city from an outsider's point of view. In comparison to Zurich, Vienna and nearby towns in Italy, Max said Perugia was his favorite place to travel to, live in, and/or sell drugs in.

Perugia has a consistent young population to sell to, Max explained, but was also much less risky.

He said that he doesn’t have to worry about the police presence as much, because they are often working on other assignments -- even if the officer is only meters away. This could be one of the reasons why we would see young people using drugs in public so often.

Max did confess that he sells to international university students, but no more so than the domestic students. He finally came to the conclusion that the difference between foreign students and Italian students is the way each goes about “usual things” in Perugia.

He believed that Italians are likely to be used to how relaxed Perugia is, and they will be more discreet.

The Umbra Institute, a study abroad-centered university in Perugia, does not approve of any misconduct revolving around illegal drug or alcohol abuse. In its Parent Guidebook sent to the families of incoming students, the institute’s zero-tolerance policy is clearly outlined.

Drug and alcohol abuse is taken very seriously by Italian authorities, the guidebook says. Umbra students are subject to punishment from local law enforcement as well as further disciplinary action from the institute, going as far as dismissal from the program.

The institute’s zero-tolerance policy is especially clear regarding sale or solicitation of drugs by a student. The guide says, “If Umbra staff learns that a student engages in the use of or sale of illegal drugs (including the use of prescription drugs other than those prescribed to the student by a licensed physician), all parties involved will automatically be dismissed from the program and sent home immediately at their own expense.”

At the back of a small bar along Perugia's main drag, we found Marco sitting quietly. He didn't want to talk much at first, and kept his hands in his pocket while leaning against the wall. We told him what we were doing in Perugia and found out he is a college student. He told us he was born in Bologna, but moved to Perugia when he was in secondary school and now attends University of Perugia.

“Do you notice any differences in drug culture between Italian students and foreign students?” we asked.

“Yes," Marco replied. "Drug culture is present with students from Perugia and foreigners. They are very different though.”

Marco began to explain how the foreign students take advantage of the relaxed enforcement of drug laws, and how they love that they can buy and use drugs in a public setting. He made a clear point that foreigners are much more obvious about their drug use than Italian students.

Marco and his friends smoke hash and marijuana together regularly and prefer a private setting, while he said foreigners will smoke joints in the main square.

“Does law enforcement play a role in where you like to smoke?” we asked.

“Not necessarily," Marco explained. "For me and a lot of locals, we like to smoke in a private setting so that our presence does not impact others around us.”