Perugia's Criminal Law

By Evan Cool, Max McConnell, and Zach Schnelle

Ever since the Amanda Knox case, Perugia has been branded the “Ibiza” of Italy, known for its partying, sex, and drugs. The Perugian people have been unenthused with their global ‘branding’, and thus have called for Perugia to return to its old ways where it was known for its chocolate and art.

It was time for the government to take measures to rein in the partying and drug scene. Requiring bars to close at 1am rather than the typical last call at 3am was one of the first steps toward a more tame nightlife. Additionally, bars must keep their music volume to a minimum until 11pm while the restaurants are still open.

These laws were created to deter people from coming to Perugia with a sole purpose to party and then in turn reduce the negative connotation associated with Perugia.

Under former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi he amended the law so that all drugs would be considered the same regarding offenses and breaking the law. This remained so until 2014; in 2014 the law was revoked and a more detailed law was implemented. The law implemented a system that is very similar to that of the United States regarding classification of drugs. However, with these different classifications punishments were still associated with being caught with drugs, and the lengths of the punishments would vary based on the classification of drug. These laws were implemented to seem that the italian government was cracking down on drug use in Italy.Moreover, after the Amanda Knox case it shed a significant light on the lack of enforcement regarding drug law in Italy. Italy was trying to change that, but they were not trying to do so while the spotlight was on Italy during the case. Once the case settled for a second time, the government had felt that it was the most opportune time to implement laws to gain control of the drug problem and culture throughout Italy. Though, more measures were implemented to combat the drug problem they’re loosely enforced and many of the times corruption impedes the enforcement of these laws. The crackdown has been focused on catching the traffickers, but they have made laws to deter people from using drugs. An example of this were the laws that were implemented in Perugia regarding bars and the nightlife.

According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction the drug problem is on the rise in Perugia. In order to combat this, the Italian government has started a crackdown on the drug problem by going after the suppliers, more specifically the the drug traffickers, in order to hopefully reduce the amount of users and dealers in the streets of Perugia.

Perugia tries to clean up: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-knox-perugia/perugia-fights-sex-and-drugs-image-idUSLNE79201C20111003

Crime Rates in Perugia: https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Perugia

Country 2017 Drug Report: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/countries/drug-reports/2017/italy/drug-laws-and-offences_en

Drug Law:

• First time offenders are let off with a warning

• Personal quantities of drugs not punished criminally

• Possession still remains illegal however

• Sale or possession of non personal quantities criminalized

Even though there are laws that are against users and dealers they’re not strictly enforced

Medical cannabis imported from Netherlands is legally sold at specified pharmacies.

Cultivation of cannabis is also illegal, and penalties for cultivation are similar to trafficking.

Currently, traffic or sale of cannabis can lead to a prison sentence of 2-6 years or a fine of 75,000 euros.