ABSTRACT
In 1990, the Italian Parliament passed a drug law that criminalized personal consumption of illegal drugs. The substances on the market have also changed in terms of composition. The population of Turin city of 900,608 has slightly decreased from 1996, while its metropolitan area totals about 1.7 million inhabitants. Consumers found in possession of very small quantities of an illegal drug, are faced with administrative sanctions, treatment programmes and, in certain cases, compulsory rehabilitation, but no prosecution takes place. Drug possession larger than the quantities indicated by the Government, becomes a criminal offence implying prison terms from 6 to 20 years. The Public Drug Services vary in terms of organization and treatment. The differences are mainly due to the variability of the socio-economic contexts in which they have to operate. Since the official information regarding the drug scene in Turin is scarce, further information was collected through unstructured, face-to-face interviews with key informants. Some drug users smoke cocaine.
