Italians talking: Now we're getting somewhere

The Italian pro cyclists' umbrella body have sent a letter to UCI president Pat McQuaid, calling for life bans on drug cheats to be imposed.
For me personally, I find this interesting since I'd always thought the Italians took a more leanient approach to doping. Two years ago it was reported that Italian fans viewed the banned substances list too extensive and some even wished for the idea of doping to be legalised, to be explored.
McQuaid, earlier this month, had sought to extend the current maximum ban for doping from two to four years. This too could be interesting, since cyclists risk taking out a larger chunk of their careers should they be busted.
Reuters has the Italian brief HERE. A cyclingnews.com version is more detailed HERE, and it includes a piece on McQuaid's view of re-testing samples.
These are progressing into some interesting times for the war against dope in sport, not just cycling. Remember, more athletes from other sports like athletics and weightlifting tested positive compared to just one woman cyclist at the Beijing Olympics.