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Malta: Decriminalise drugs? No way, says government in wake of global report Claudia Calleja Times of Malta Friday 03 Jun 2011 The Global Commission on Drug Policy, which reviewed current drug-combating policies, said the locking up of millions of drug users only served to fill prisons around the globe and break up families, but did not solve the problem. Speaking specifically about drug users and not traffickers, the report encouraged governments to decriminalise drugs like cannabis "to undermine the power of organised crime and safeguard users’ health". Decriminalisation would shift drug users from the criminal system to the health system where they were treated as patients in need of therapy rather than as criminals. The high-powered 19-member commission included former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the former leaders of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. Asked whether the government would consider the commission's suggestion, a spokesman from the Justice Ministry replied categorically that "the government has no intention of decriminalising or liberalising Malta's drug laws". "The basic fact is that drugs are illegal because they are harmful and we are still to be persuaded that giving a free hand to people to possess and consume dangerous substances without having an effective deterrent in place will solve this problem," he said. George Grech, the clinical director of the government agency Sedqa, which works with addicts, said he was in favour of drug decriminalisation. He had raised the need to urgently discuss it during a conference last December. Yesterday Dr Grech explained that decriminalisation would mean that addicts could be treated as patients, in need of therapy, as opposed to criminals. He, however, disapproved of legalisation since it was justifying something that remained intrinsically wrong. He said that, in practice, the team at Sedqa treated addicts as patients. One of the main problems faced by Seqda was the shift of use from heroin to cannabis that was not perceived as a dependency drug. There was no method of treatment for cannabis addiction, as there was methadone for heroin, and therefore overcoming the addiction took more will power through therapy. He cautioned against underestimating cannabis abuse, a drug sometimes perceived as innocent, as evidence showed it was linked to psychosis. Having said that, he said Malta's biggest addiction problem remained alcohol abuse. The global commission's report, published on Wednesday, said that vast expenditures on criminalisation and repressive measures clearly failed to suppress supply or consumption. It said repressive measures directed at users impeded public health measures to reduce the harmful consequences of drug-use. It cited UN estimates that opiate use increased 35 per cent worldwide from 1998 to 2008, cocaine by 27 per cent and cannabis by 8.5 per cent. The report encouraged governments to experiment with the decriminalisation and legal regulation of drugs. "Arresting and incarcerating tens of millions of these people (addicts) in recent decades has filled prisons and destroyed lives and families without reducing the availability of illicit drugs or power of criminal organisations... Break the taboo on debate and reform. The time for action is now," the report said. Local drug facts • Each year between 10 and 12 people die of a drug overdose. • More than half of cannabis users who seek outpatient treatment in Malta are daily users. • Malta is one of three European countries where 40 per cent of drug-related deaths occur among those under 25. • Just below 15 per cent of drug-induced deaths in Malta are among those aged 40 or older, while seven per cent of those seeking treatment for their addiction are aged between 40 and 59 years. • About two non-fatal overdose cases are admitted to Mater Dei Hospital every week. • Over 900 children of drug addicts need support to ensure they do not follow in their parents' footsteps. • Between 800 and 1,000 drug users use Sedqa’s services at any one time. • Women face issues that are unique to their gender, including prostitution, sexual abuse and domestic violence. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110603/local/Decriminalise-drugs-No-way-says-government-in-wake-of-global-report.368700
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