On the 15th of December, the “End of the Prohibitionist World” Network has held in Rome a national meeting, preparing for the ruling by the Constitutional Court next scheduled on the 11thof February, relatively to the law concerning illegal drugs, named after the two authors that conceived it, Mr. Fini and Mr.Giovanardi.

It has been a very intense meeting with many groups spanning from Social Centers to harm reduction operators, along with NGOs and several persons working into institutional organizations. During the past eight years whenthe Fini/Giovanardi Law has been applied, tens of thousands of persons have been arrested, badly overcrowding the state prisons, accumulating thousands of years of jail-timewhile at the same time the economic costs for maintaining such a repressive and judicial apparatusskyrocketed. Yet the Mafia could thank everybody for the exponential growth of the highly profitable business based on illegal street drugs; sadly after too many persecutions and casualties, still too many deaths are looking for just some truth.

The combined results of the law on drugs together with the law on immigration, has created a very long string of legal proceedings, turning the Italian prison conditions into a permanent emergency crisis and a nationwide scandal, putting the country completely out of the European numbers.
No other country in Europe has so many detainees for drug related charges. The heavy criminalization of drug users badly clashes with the impunity granted by the same juridical system to those who commit much harsher crimes, those really harming the very fabric of the entire society, giving the impression that for specific categories of people, being identified first and prosecuted later, it’s something already been written down somewhere just because of some stigma factor. The situation relative to our penal institutions recently made the European Union reproach Italy  just few months before the country’s going to sit on the highest chair of the Council of the European Union, however showing awful references for not respecting basic human rights. It’s a matter of time before some very costly and well deserved fines will be delivered here!

For many years, all this happened under a crooked, distorted and expensive covert specifically created by the Anti-Drug Policies Department (DPA), an agency directly controlled by the Presidency of the Council and not by a more appropriate Public Department such as the Health, Justice or Social Affairs ones. The DPA is falsely claiming that Italy’s drug users are not being punished at all and that they are instead taken care of; it also opposes to most harm reduction policies, even at an international level. It promotes a bio-medical and pathological model aggregating all drug uses, assimilating all illegal substances and all consumption modalities together. After the fall of the centre-right government, originally designating such law, none of the two following governments has ever bothered to lift a finger in order to alleviate this dramatic situation.

Finally, today, something seems to be moving… and it looks like this system could be stopped. Since January several tribunals and the Supreme Court of Cassation as well, have suspended most of the proceedings and have sent the law back to the Board to be re-examined because of its blatant unconstitutionality. It was just few days ago when we knew that finally the Constitutional Court willdiscuss it on the 11th of February.

The main objections under scrutiny will be concerned to the way the law was made operative, as it originally was born as a legal loophole: a decree disguised as an urgency measure regarding a completely different matter (the 2006 Turin winter olympic games), never been discussed in the usual and most appropriate place, the Parliament; should this not be enough, by equating the penalties for hard and soft drugs, at the same time it also violates some clearly stated European norms. Despite this, we all know that, should the Constitutional Court abolish the Fini/Giovanardi Law, even because un-constitutional reasons, this event will be a once in a time chance to have a completely new scenery awaiting for us.
We therefore think that it is now necessary to call to actionas many individuals, groups, activists, medical patients and structures as possible, together withall the organizations that have fought for so many years refusing to accept all this, gatheringtogether all the forces with a big public demonstration that will be held in Rome on the 8thof February. We want to build up a common/sharedpath,starting it right from the people, highlightingthe harms caused so far by the current law and wishing for it to becomethe main drivefor the decisions soon to be taken by the Constitutional Court.

We’re asking everyone to subscribe and disseminate this Manifesto, to organize the mobilization in all the territories, to inform most of the people and to promote fund gathering initiatives supporting the participation to the demonstration; lots and lots of geographical pinpoints are going to be collected on a digital map, enabling anyone interested to find people alike close to them, sharing the desire to became part of the street parade by organizing a common transportation to Rome, e.g. because of some spare car seats available or by easing contacts among individuals wishing to share a rented vehicle.

We are firmly determined not to pay the massive cost of ideological and repressive laws with our lives and our rights anymore as those same laws are ironicallyempowering a multi-millionaire, money laundering business firmly in the hands of the Mafia drug lords; we are not anymore willing to witness the prisons being fulfilled with usually innocuous users that, according to that criminal pathogenic theorem so beloved by the prohibitionist propaganda, are instantly transmuted into mentally ill criminals, dangerous not just for themselves but for the whole community and that for this same reason are deserved to be spanked, err… punished and behaviorally corrected. We are not even willing to attend anymore to the persecution of ill people craving for Cannabis simply because of the beneficial therapeutic effects.

We are not any longer willing to let people die in jails because of this infamous law. The time has come to further advance over it, starting by fully decriminalizing personal cannabis usage and home grown cultivations: it already happened and is happening right now in more and more countries in the world.

On the 8thof February we are going to take the streets in Rome because
Be it right or be wrong, it is not a crime at all!
Let’s cultivate the future!
For info and registration adesioni@leggeillegale.org

Who has already signed:

C.S.O.A. Forte Prenestino (Roma), C.S.O.A. Sans Papier (Roma), Laboratorio Puzzle (Roma), Infoshock C.S.O.A. Gabrio (Torino), Lab57 (Laboratorio Antiproibizionista Bologna), Osservatorio Antiproibizionista Canapisa Crew (Pisa), Laboratorio Occupato SKA (Napoli), Comitato Verità per Aldo Bianzino (Perugia), European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD Italia), Million Marijuana March (Italia), Ass.ne Ecorevolution, Ass.ne Attivamente, Ass.ne Tilt, Ass.ne Giovani per Turania, Ass.ne Ascia, Ass.ne Freeweed, Quadraro Massive Sound System, SEL, Overgrow Comunity, Sicilcanapa, P.I.C. – Pazienti Impazienti Cannabis, alcuni pazienti, Spazio Pubblico Autogestito Xm24 (Bologna), Forum Droghe, Ass.ne Antigone, Teatro Valle Occupato (Roma), C.S.O.A. Le Macerie Baracche Ribelli (Molfetta- BA), Ass.ne Campagnano-r@p Rete Autorganizzazione Popolare, Circolo Anarchico Ponte della Ghisolfa (Milano), S.P.A. Leoncavallo (Milano), Ass.ne Cannabica La Kalada (Barcellona,Spain), Nuovo Cinema Palazzo (Roma), Comunità S. Benedetto al Porto (Genova), Radio Torre Sound System, ESC – Atelier Autogestito (Roma), Parsec Cooperativa Sociale (Roma), A.D.E.C. Assonabis, M.D.A. – Movimento Disoccupati Autorganizzati (Acerra – NA), C.S.O.A. Ex Macello (Acerra – NA), Strike spazio pubblico autogestito (Roma), Parasite Conspiracy, Folletto 25603 (Abbiategrasso – MI), P33racy – pirateria permanente in rete, TPO – Teatro Polivalente Occupato (Bologna), SMK Videofactory (Bologna), Centri Sociali del nord-est, Studenti medi Autorganizzati (Bologna), Centro sociale Làbas occupato (Bologna), CAT cooperativa Sociale (Firenze), La Terra Trema, Ass.ne LaTenda onlus (Roma), coordinamento FreeTAZ, Ass.ne Tivoli Liberatutti, Rete della Conoscenza, Unione degli Studenti, LINK – Coordinamento Universitario, Mestiza S.P.A. (Taranto), Ass.ne Culturale CanaPuglia, Movimento di Strada Liberi Tutti (artisti di strada – Roma), C.S.O.A. Corto Circuito (Roma), C.S.O.A. Terra di Nessuno (Genova), ArtLab Occupato (Parma), gruppo artistico/letterario dei Cardiopatici (Roma), C.S.A. La Torre (Roma), Movimento Canapa Catania, C.S.A. Lazzaretto (Bologna), Comunità in Resistenza di Empoli, S.P.A. Filorosso ’95 (Cosenza), Collettivo Universitario UniOn Parma, C.S.O.A. Zona 22 (San Vito Chietino), Ass.ne Ida – Iniziativa Donne Aids (Bologna), Gruppo Autonomo Viareggio Ultras, C.S.O.A. Sars (Viareggio), Collettivo Alternativa Ribelle (Varese e Gallarate), collettivo “L’otto per la legalizzazione”, C.S.A. La Talpa e l’Orologio (Imperia), Rototom Sunsplash, ITARDD – Rete Italiana della Riduzione del Danno, COBS – Coordinamento Operatori Servizi a Bassa Soglia del Piemonte, AlteMus Org, Ass.ne di Volontariato Jerry Essan Masslo (Casal di Principe – CE), Ass.ne Sinistra Duemila (Casal di Principe – CE), APS Comitato Don Diana (Casal di Principe – CE), Partito  EcoAnimalista, Movimento Canapa Grosseto, Asilo Occupato (L’Aquila), CaseMatte (L’Aquila), Legalteam Italia, LILA Onlus – Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro l’Aids, United Roots SoundSystem (Torino), Vag61 (Bologna), Asia Usb (Bologna), Aula C Autogestita Antifascista (Bologna), Circolo Il Farina (Cassano Valcuvia – VA), Musicbiz, Dance Hall Riders, www.reggae.it, C.S.O.A. Spartaco (Roma), Partito Pirata Italiano, Assemblea nazionale per i cannabis club, Associazione Culturale Papillon-Rebibbia Onlus Bologna, Collettivo PrecariaMente, Laboratorio Aq16 (Reggio Emilia), Centro Sociale 28 Maggio di Rovato (Brescia),  Associazione ambientale e culturale “Il pettirosso” (Venticano – Avellino),  Laboratorio Paz Project (Rimini), Greensofa, CSOA Lambretta (Lambrate – Milano), CASC (Coordinamento Autonomo Studenti e Collettivi) Lambrate (Milano), Rossa Bologna, Zero Violenza Donne, Spazio Sociale Autogestito Progetto Rebeldia (Pisa),  56 k (Roma), Freeweed Lucca Viareggio,  Stage Attack Movement, Junior Sprea (Mi), KAG – Kapannone Autogestito, Cambiamo Abbiategrasso, FGCI – Federazione Giovanile Comunisti Italiani (provincia di lecce), C.S. A Casal Bernocchi (Rm), CSOA Valle Faul (VT), La Casa del Popolo C.Vera (Benedetto del Tronto – Ap), Porto Sound (Piana di Gioia Tauro, RC), Dott. Alfio Fiori – Direttore Cooperativa Sociale Cento Fiori a r.l. – ONLUS (Rimini), Valeria Grasso Associazione Antimafia “Legalità è Libertà”, Danilo Chirico – Associazione “DaSud”, Elisa Marini (referente per l’intercultura – Rete Senza Confini), “Il Cammino” Coop. Sociale – ONLUS (Roma), Alfio B, Adriano Bono, Giovani Comunisti, Indica Sativa Trade,  Casa Del Popolo di San Benedetto Del Tronto, Redazione lazionauta.it, Comitato antiproibizionista NOTAV, ARCI “L’officina 141” di Afragola (Napoli), ARCI PG, Circolo ARCI Thomas Sankara (Messina), ARCI Nazionale, Luca Gibillini (Consigliere Comunale Milano – Sel), Anita Sonego (Comune di Milano – Capogruppo Sinistra x Pisapia – Federazione della Sinistra – Presidente Commissione Pari Opportunitá), Maurizio Acerbo (consigliere regionale PRC Abruzzo), Marco Grimaldi (consiglire al Comune di Torino e primo estensore della  mozione sulla Cannabis), Massimiliano Smeriglio (Vicepresidente Regione Lazio), Gabriella Stramaccioni (Associazione LIBERA contro le mafie), Luigi Nieri (vicesindaco di Roma), Gianluca Peciola (capogruppo Sel Comune di Roma), Imma Battaglia (consigliera Sel Comune di Roma), Anna Maria Cesaretti (consigliera Sel Comune di Roma), Gemma Azuni (consigliera SEL Comune di Roma), Pierluigi Introna (capogruppo Sel Comune di Bari) – Fabio Losito (assessore Sel Comune di Bari), Nicola Laforgia (consigliere Sel Comune di Bari), On. Adriano Zaccagnini (Deputato Camera, Vicepresidente Commissione Agricoltura), Davide Tutino (vicepresidente del Consiglio del municipio 7 di Roma Capitale), Consiglieri GRUPPO SEL/Con Amelia Consiglio Comunale di Bologna, Marta Bonafoni (consigliera Regione Lazio – Gruppo Per il Lazio), Mauro Palma (Corte di Strasburgo), Valeria Fedeli (vicepresidente PD Senato), Sara Martorano (Consigliere Lista Civica Marino, XV Municipio Roma), Ivan Scalfarotto (Deputato PD), Marcello Belotti (coordinatore SEL España), Paolo Ferrero – Segretario Nazionale di Rifondazione Comunista, Francesco D’Agresta -Assessore alla Cultura ed alle Politiche sociali del Comune di Civitaquana (PE) – Partito della Rifondazione Comunista, Loredana Lipperini (giornalista), Maria Pia Fusco (giornalista), Punkreas, 8Sunday (Cagliari), Villa Ada Posse, Rufino & Bonifax, Meg, Ascanio Celestini, Daniele Vicari (regista di “Diaz”), Fabrizio Dentini (autore del libro “Canapa Medica”), Paolo Flores d’Arcais, Bonifax, Julia, Raina (Rm), Modena City Ramblers, Sud Sound System (Le), Bass Colture (To), Junior Sprea, DotVibes Crew (To), Africa Unite, Mr. T-Bone, Statuto, Radici nel Cemento, Pressure Dub Sound, Mr. Dill, Paranza Vibes, NBT Sound Kollektive (roma), Kernelpanik Sound System (Roma), Truckstop 76th Indipendent Label (Roma), E. Germano, Paolo Rossi, Zerocalcare.