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Malta:Letter: Decriminalising, not legalising, drugs – AD

Ralph Cassar, Secretary-general, Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party, Marsa

Times of Malta

Sunday 20 May 2012

I was surprised that despite our various public statements, your report on the cannabis demonstration (May 6) states that Alternattiva Demokratika is in favour of the legalisation of drugs. This is either an oversight or a deliberate attempt to confuse issues.

What the party is in favour of is treating victims of abuse as they are, namely victims, and stop the useless practice of sending people to prison for using drugs. The term used is decriminalisation.

It may sound grand and complicated, but all it means is that drug abusers are not sent to prison, thus exacerbating their situation, but directed to treatment.

Various people, including expert doctors and agencies such asCaritas, have spoken about the harm being done, or rather the unravelling of years on end of therapy when a person with a propensity to drug abuse is jailed. The successful Portuguese legislation on the issue is something to look at and consider seriously.

Neither the Nationalist nor the Labour party will speak on the issue, probably for the simple fact that legalisation and decriminalisation are confused, as was done, hopefully inadvertently, in your report.

Editor's note: The word used in the report was nothing more than a genuine mistake. The error is regretted.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120520/letters/Decriminalising-not-legalising-drugs-AD.420504

 

 

 

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