[REVISION HISTORY]

Italy drug policy and public health challenges

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-16 22:35 UTC → 2026-10-17 00:13 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The situation regarding drug policy and public health in Italy has drawn scrutiny from both international human rights bodies and domestic health organizations. In September 2026, a United Nations report criticized Italy’s punitive drug enforcement policies, stating they disproportionately affect people of African descent. The report, presented to the Human Rights Council, raised “significant human rights concerns” regarding systemic racism, racial profiling, and disparities in sentencing and incarceration. By October 2026, domestic reports highlighted escalating public health challenges. The Italian Society of Addiction Pathologies identified 92 new psychoactive substances in 2025, contributing to a 15% rise in emergency room admissions for substance-related issues. Health organizations also noted significant service gaps, particularly regarding ‘chemsex’ and a lack of cooperation between addiction services and STI centers, all while facing a shortage of approximately 1,900 healthcare professionals. A national survey by FeDerSerD presented in Naples further detailed these gaps regarding ‘chemsex’—the use of psychoactive substances to facilitate sexual encounters. The study found that the phenomenon remains under-investigated and that STI prevention is insufficiently structured. According to the survey of 390 addiction service professionals, 68.5% of SerD facilities lack formalized collaborations with territorial STI centers. Additionally, over 56% of these services do not utilize structured sexual history taking or counseling, leaving users at high risk for infectious diseases.

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