Palermo, bill against drugs presented: the “The cure creates independence” bill

Last Updated: July 25, 2023

Palermo, disegno di legge contro le droghe: presentato il ddl «La cura crea indipendenza»

#Palermo
The emergency that has exploded after the pandemic creates alarms on multiple fronts, and today the bill “The cure creates independence” was presented in the Yellow Room of the Regional Assembly of Sicily. The bill was drafted by Professor Clelia Bartoli, from the Department of Law at UniPa, and her students, with the support of the associations “S.O.S. Ballarò” and “La casa di Giulio”.

“This is a historic day, today something concrete has been done after months of work. This reality, that of Giulio and his family, has presented us with a bill that could change the fate of many young people who are currently dependent on drugs,” said the deputy of De Luca Sindaco di Sicilia – Sud chiama Nord, Ismaele La Vardera. “My Intergroup and I will bring this bill to the assembly and do everything necessary to get it approved. We are facing an emergency that is real and social, and it is spreading more and more, especially among young people. And we, as institutions, cannot stand by and watch. I thank Monsignor Lorefice, who has supported this project, demonstrating a unique sensitivity to the issue, and also Galvagno, who has never backed down from my requests, such as the drug test. Today we have taken a step, but it is our task to try to change the fate of our young people. Furthermore, the Intergroup that I have the honor of presiding over will launch a project in schools starting from September, with several exceptional testimonials: “Don’t ruin your life with crack.” This is the name we officially present today.”

The bill was handed over to the Inter-group by the Archbishop of Palermo, Corrado Lorefice. “It is a framework law on youth pathological addictions, which is completely lacking because Sicily has not implemented the directives of national regulations,” emphasized Professor Bartoli. “This law establishes principles because so far there have been isolated normative interventions that cannot effectively address the issue on a global level, and this is what defines the bill. It addresses prevention and then focuses on individuals at low, medium, or high risk thresholds, and reintegration.”

“This bill is crucial for today’s young people and future generations because we need to create a better future for our children,” said Francesco Zavatteri, father of Giulio, who died young due to crack. “Antonello Cracolici also stated this today, the president of the Anti-Mafia Commission, who daily interacts with law enforcement and is aware of this exponential increase, not only in drug dealing but also in the arrival of large quantities of cocaine.” In addition to Cracolici, members of the Inter-group (Burtone, Spada, Chinnici, Savarino, Schillaci, Severino, Figuccia), regional deputies Di Paola and Cambiano, and the president of the Regional Assembly, Gaetano Galvagno, were present at the conference at the Regional Assembly, and Galvagno took charge of the future course of the regional law.