Nearly 40% of Italian Teens Take Drugs, Government Report Finds

Almost 960,000 Italians aged between 15 and 19, or 39% of them, have consumed illegal substances at least once, an annual government report to parliament showed on Tuesday, as drug abuse headed back towards pre-pandemic levels.

Italy -home to powerful mafia groups that raise billions through drug trafficking- saw some 54,000 young people use cocaine in 2023, while around 550,000 said they had used cannabis-related products at least once, Reuters reported.