title: [Drug addiction: between classification and social and health policies].
abstract: Recent changes in Italian legislation about drug use suggest a reflection, in order to plan health policies useful to reducing the magnitude of the problem. On the one hand, the classification between soft and hard drugs is misleading: it is not the substance but the consumption habits that can be considered light or heavy. On the other hand, the adoption of strict regulations inattentive to harm reduction has not yielded positive results in terms of drug use spreading. Finally, the association between cannabis use and the onset of psychotic disorders deserve to be confirmed by further studies.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davoli
mesh_terms: D002186:Cannabinoids; D002188:Cannabis / Q000009:adverse effects; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000145:classification; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations