Italy — Legal Help

If detained, request consular notification immediately — Italian police (Carabinieri, Polizia di Stato) must allow this under the Vienna Convention. Embassies in Rome (US, UK, Australia, Canada) provide lawyer lists and welfare visits but cannot pay fines or intervene in judicial proceedings. Age of consent is 14 (Article 609-quater, Codice Penale), rising to 16 where a position of authority exists. Sex work itself is legal for adults 18+, but brothels, pimping and organised solicitation are criminal under the Merlin Law (Law 75/1958).

Drug law (DPR 309/1990) treats personal-use possession as an administrative offence (license suspension, fines) but dealing carries 6–20 years. Cannabis "light" (<0.5% THC) is a grey area.