Perugia, Italy the “Disneyland of Drugs”

It is the city of the best chocolate of Italy, home to the most famous Jazz Festival of Europe, to the International Journalism Festival, and to a lot of art and history. We are talking of Perugia, which not long ago was defined by someone as the “Disneyland of drugs” during controversial public debates that followed the latest tragic death of a young woman, addicted to heroin. The capital of the Italian Umbria Region, Perugia has 166,000 inhabitants, 40,000 students, two crowded Universities - one for foreign students - and the typical character of the quiet city of the Italian province, all perfect components that have contributed to make it for many years one of the largest drug markets of Italy. The drugs have invaded the old part of town, where the pushers are sometimes seen even on the steps of the Cathedral, and where on the weekend the students can easily obtain alcohol and drugs for cheap.

Many of the pushers are foreigners; they often arrive as fake “students” and are at first difficult to distinguish among the real ones, but later their presence can be noted with assiduity in the locations where most frequently the exchanges between drug dealers and buyers occur. Heroin is the substance most used in Perugia, then cocaine, marijuana and hashish, but also ecstasy, methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs. These are often taken mixed with alcohol in a deadly cocktail that can be fatal, like in the many, too many deaths which have given Umbria the sad record of the city with the most drug-related deaths, not only in Italy but in Europe.

In a recent statement, the Mayor of the city has recognized the dramatic urgency of the problem that affects primarily young people, but has also tried at the same time to focus on its roots and the fact that this is not, however, a restricted or “local” reality, and needs to be addressed. In Perugia like elsewhere, as the Mayor says, the volume of the drug traffic matches the volume of the demand, and follows the lack of information in parents and families regarding the dangers of the environments that their children attend, as well as the lack of sensitivity of the educational institutions to the many signals of juvenile distress. And it is tragic to think that the very place where youth and teenagers spend most of their time - and where often they are exposed for the first time to drugs - does not take in account any education on the matter.

Narconon an answer for Perugia

The consultants of the Narconon drug rehabilitation program are always ready to respond to the needs of those who already struggle with drug addiction, as well as the families that share their drama. Contact us for more information about the Narconon program and for assistance with someone who is struggling with addiction.