Decriminalizing cannabis would harm Daech

And it's not us who say so, but Franco Roberti, Italy's national head of the fight against the mafia and terrorism. Decriminalizing the sale of cannabis would be a major blow to the so-called Islamic State and the Italian mafia who, according to recent investigations, have joined forces to smuggle hashish.

The main smuggling route for North African hashish now runs from Casablanca in Morocco, through Algeria and Tunisia to Tobruk in eastern Libya, according to Franco Roberti. This route runs alongside the seaside town of Sirte, which today serves as the Mediterranean base for the most powerful branch of Daech.

«The Islamic State controls the Libyan roads, it controls the entire coast of the Gulf of Sirte» says Roberti. In its investigations, the Italian police found evidence that the italian organized crime, which has long controlled the country's drug supply, and North African terrorists are working together.

«The decriminalization or legalization could be a weapon against traffickers, among whom there may be terrorists who make money from it» for Roberti. Italian organized crime is said to generate over 32 billion euros a year from drug trafficking, including cannabis. «International terrorism is financed by illegal activities typical of the mafia, such as drug trafficking, smuggling of commercial products, oil, works of art or kidnapping».

Faced with the enormous challenges of fighting smuggling, cocaine trafficking and international terrorism, investigators spend a lot of time and energy fighting cannabis dealers, with little effect, says Roberti. «We're spending a lot of resources unnecessarily. We haven't been able to stem the flow of cannabinoids. On the contrary, it's increasing,» says Roberti, who has been fighting the mafia for over thirty years.

«Is it worth putting investigators to combat street sales of soft drugs?» he asks. According to the latest Italian government data, around 3.5 million Italians between the ages of 15 and 64 consumed cannabis in 2014.

The cannabis is less harmful than hard and synthetic drugs, which he believes should not be decriminalized. But Italian laws against the sale and cultivation of cannabis are strict and can lead to prison sentences.

A bi-partisan group of politicians has proposed to legalize cannabis possession and cultivation in Italy in early 2016, but was not followed by any of the leaders of the main political parties.

In his latest book Il contrario della paura (The Opposite of Fear), Roberti suggests that the whole of Europe, not just Italy, should consider making better use of investigative resources: «On decriminalization [of cannabis], there should be a national debate, but also a European one».