„This fight is the result of a very long sowing,“ says Senator Emma Bonino. „I think I`m one of those very few people who fight for legalization, but only Muratti smokes, I`ve never liked cannabis: it`s muddy and wet,“ he jokes. „What is happening with the Zan law shows that parliament is stuck on civil rights. The same thing happened with euthanasia and with the proposal of which I am the first signatory, on self-cultivation, which was blocked in the Justice Commission,“ Riccardo Magi, president of +Europa, told the Supreme Court today for depositing the signatures collected for the referendum. „This shows, given the allegations of many about the referendum using digital signatures as a tool against Parliament, that it is rather the only way for citizens to take a step forward for their rights,“ he added. The introduction of the digital signature opens up unexpected prospects for the promotion of referendums: according to an estimate by AGID, the agency for digital Italy, in May there are about 20 million people, more than a third of the total population. Its use has also spread thanks to some government initiatives during the pandemic, such as the so-called „state cashback“. Antigone Association: „35% of prisoners are in prison for breaking drug laws. 25% of prisoners are drug addicts.
We must promote a policy that tackles the problem in a way that is totally opposite to what has been done so far. That is why, along with many other realities, we have promoted a referendum to repeal parts of the single text on drugs. The figures speak in favor of the „legal referendum on cannabis“: one hundred thousand signatures in 24 hours, which became 220,000 after two days and 330,000 after three days. Finally, after only one week, the milestone was reached: 500,000 signatures in just seven days for the referendum to eliminate the crime of cultivation, abolish prison sentences for any cannabis-related behavior and lift the administrative penalty for revoking the license. „The question of the referendum, which concerns the Consolidated Law on the Regulation of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Presidential Decree 309/1990) – explain the authors * – was formulated with the dual intention of intervening both in terms of criminal relevance and administrative sanction of a number of practices in the field of drugs“. Firstly, the proposal aims to decriminalise the cultivation of any substance and to abolish imprisonment for illegal behaviour linked to cannabis, with the exception of association for the purpose of illicit trafficking. With one precision: „The possession, manufacture and manufacture of all substances that can be used for pipelines other than personal use must be preserved.“ To this end, proponents sent more than 37,000 CEP communications with 2 to 20 names to reference municipalities with the obligation to respond within 48 hours. However, by the end of the deadline, only 28,000 responses had been received, for a total of 125,000 certificates, or about a quarter of the signatures collected. If the signatures are not certified and sent to the Supreme Court by September 30, the referendum may not take place unless the government grants an extension. Supporters of the initiative, including the Luca Coscioni association, warned the 1,400 failing municipal administrations and called on the President of the Republic to extend the deadline for handing over signatures until 31 October. If we read article 73 of the consolidated law on narcotic drugs, we note that paragraph 1 speaks of „narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances according to Schedule I according to article 14“, where we find a list of 8 points in which we find substances such as opium and coca leaves. In short, on the basis of this research, it seems that the referendum is not only about cannabis (which is mentioned in Article 73 of Table II of Article 14).
A digital signature for the legal referendum on cannabis costs around 1 euro.