10/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - Maurizio Turco, MEP from the Lista Bonino European Parliamentary grouping welcomed the European Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly for Social Affairs committee's recommendation to Member States that they follow the example of Switzerland on drug prevention. Since 1994, Switzerland has succeeded in stabilising and reducing the number of drug related deaths, thanks to a health and prevention policy that consists of providing clean syringes, the setting up of rooms for injections, the prescription of heroin for highly dependent users and housing and job programmes for drug addicts (see EUROPE 9 January page 4). The Italian MEP explained in a press release that the Council of Europe Assembly had approved the programme that the Italian Radicals presented in 1993 following the Italian referendum on the abolition of prison sentences for drug users. Mr Turco also pointed out that the legalisation of drugs was the only way of fighting drug addiction and the criminality that monopolises its production and distribution.