Opposition mounts over bill proposing cannabis legalisation

(ANSA) - Rome, July 16 - Opposition mounted on Thursday against the bill presented on Wednesday and supported by 218 MPs proposing to allow legal possession of a modest quantity of marijuana for recreational use as well as home cultivation of up to five plants.
    "This is just another act of an offensive that has lasted for years, towards the liberalisation of drugs. But a state that makes a harmful behavior lawful isn't good for the welfare of its citizens and must take responsibility for that," said Paola Ricci Sindoni, national president of the Science and Life Association.
    "I strongly believe in the educational function of the state and I think that public decision-makers have a responsibility. That's why the proposal to legalise cannabis for recreational use is, as I see it, unsustainable. You can't abdicate the protection of health for accounting reasons, nor can you justify this choice with the fact that cannabis is already used. Rather, controls should be intensified," said Annagrazia Calabria, MP and leader of Forza Italia Youth.
    "It's unbelievable that before a generation that is calling for opportunities for work, study, and housing to build a future, our parliamentarians are finding it useful to make it easier and legal to use drugs," said Giovanni Ramonda, director of the Pope John XXIII Community.