Reports from citizens to Veritas regarding drug injection equipment are on the rise. From the station area to Marghera, cases are not decreasing compared to those in 2024.
By Matilde Bicciato
[Editor’s Note: While we usually refrain from commentary on this site, it seems important to point out Simone Venturini’s statement about the serious and growing problem of open drug use and sales in Mestre, because Venturini may well be a candidate for Mayor of Venice in May’s election. Thus, chalking the problem up to littering – “Some people listen when you tell them not to litter. Others less so.” – seems to offer a strong indication of the very little consideration Venturini has for a human tragedy that is not only ruining users’ lives, but making Mestre a much worse place to live in for everyone, a problem that has exploded while Venturini has been in office as a lieutenant of Mayor Brugnaro.]
Feb. 13, 2026
More than 5,000 pieces of drug paraphernalia — including needles and syringes — were collected on the streets in Mestre in 2025. This figure, which emerged from a report by Veritas, provides a snapshot of drug use and abuse in the city. A total of 5,198 items were found, including 2,575 syringes and 2,623 needles. Some of these were noticed by garbage collectors, who then reported them. Most, however, were found as a direct result of reports from passersby, residents, parents in the park with their children, and teachers leaving school.
In other words, people walking in a park, along a sidewalk, or behind their car parked on the street come across, by chance, one or more devices used by someone to inject drugs. At that point, anyone who wants to can call the urban cleaning service, Veritas, which proceeds with the removal. This number is in line with previous years and, moreover, does not even take into account the services provided by Veritas independently, without external reports.
The total number of syringes is therefore likely to be much higher. This phenomenon is closely linked to drug dealing and, for this very reason, is often localized in the same areas of the city. These are places that are notoriously more badly affected. The area around the train station, Via Piave, Corso del Popolo, Via Cappuccina, Via Bissuola (although much improved), Via Ca’ Marcello, and all the green areas that cross them. Not only that, but there have also been numerous reports in Marghera. “Every day, there are four or five people who come in asking for syringes to inject drugs, and that’s not even the highest number I’ve had,” explains Antonio Sabbadin, owner of the pharmacy of the same name in Via Circonvallazione, a stone’s throw from Querini Park.
“Mestre has become a hub for drug dealing and, consequently, for substance abuse. It is a city that is paying the price for the neglect of its own citizens. Many have left because of the degradation, and many don’t care about the degradation. Anyone who thinks that pharmacies should not sell syringes to these people is seriously mistaken. Not doing so means forcing a person suffering from withdrawal to look for other ways to get high. Dirty, reused needles or other methods only pave the way for hepatitis and AIDS.” The degradation, however, worries citizens: “They take drugs out in the open,” says Giovanna Luzzi, of the Via Piave citizens’ coordination group.
“There are syringes, plastic bottles for crack, and things like that everywhere. And around them? Children riding bikes, playing, dogs at risk of ingesting them.” Similar reports also come from municipalities further away from the station area, such as Gazzera, specifically around Via Perlan, where residents complain about the obvious and daily presence of drug addicts. “Within a few meters of the area, there is SERD (the Addiction Service, ed.), the ‘Stepan Zavrel’ nursery school, and an INS. Many drug addicts therefore gravitate to this area, buy alcohol at the supermarket, and take drugs in the park where families and children also pass by,” explains Vincenzo Muriello, a resident of the area.
Commenting on the reports of syringes and the work of Veritas, Social Affairs Councilor Simone Venturini said: “Some people listen when you tell them not to litter. Others less so. However, these are fragile individuals who are dependent on drug dealing, and the goal is always to try to save them. Veritas and the police are always on the alert to ensure cleanliness.” There have been improvements, but these have not been based on repressive measures: “A few years ago, the Bissuola area was littered with syringes on the ground. Now it seems to have improved,” explains Laura Latini of the Bissuola committee. “This makes sense. Repression has short-term effects. To redevelop an area, you have to encourage people to live there, not abandon it.”
Source: La Nuova di Venezia e Mestre
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