On drug addiction, I write with heavy heart. Drug addiction has traumatised families and ruined the lives of many. It took local authorities a while to acknowledge that such addiction was steadily spreading. A church stalwart was amongst the first to voice his concern and, although at the time his was a voice in the wilderness, he started to take action. He had the courage to alert all. It took the authorities a while to seriously recognise the extent of drugs addiction, until drug trafficking became so manifestly open that, allegedly, it was taking place in some of our town squares in broad daylight. When it became late in the day the soft-spoken priest was, after all, proved right.
Gradually, church institutions were followed by government authorities and started programmes to address people with drug addiction. Once, many realised the negative effects of drugs on people, families and society, an ongoing war was waged against drug barons and traffickers. Specialised sections within the police force and the armed forces were beefed up with focused personnel, who do every effort to squash drug dealers and save the lives of the vulnerable thatfall prey to dealers. As drug dealers do not look outwardly notorious, and some may even hold respectable positions within our community, the work of law enforcement personnel is very difficult.
Drug dealing has no boundaries. Drug dealing and wheeling is an illicit thriving business. Seeking to make a financial profit from people’s vulnerability, mostly in the prime years of their lives, should not be in any way acceptable. Drug dealers hook people, mostly of a tender age, to addiction on drugs. And there’s no social divide in this regard; addiction affects the poor, the middle class and the rich alike. Malta should not surrender in its fight against drug dealers, but instead should step up the fight with all available means.
Drug dealers and wheelers should not be allowed to persuade society that soft drugs for personal consumption do no harm and should not be punishable. While drug addicts should be assisted by all means and should be encouraged to take detox programmes as early as possible, drug dealers should be unreservedly held responsible for their irresponsible actions and punished severely.
Courts should become more efficient and swifter in handing down sentences when dealing with drugs addicts. It would be counter-productive to sentence a drug addict years after he/she has dealt with the addiction and has become clean. Nonetheless, this does not in any way mean that drugs for personal use should be allowed or become permissible in the eyes of the law.
Moreover, this issue has nothing to do with conservatives or liberals, with old-fashioned thinking or open-mindedness, with church teaching or otherwise. Legalising soft drugs for personal consumption will open doors to the use of other harder drugs. I have attended conferences locally and abroad on the subject, and heard many experts in the field clearly stating that many drug addicts have started their road to addiction with a joint of cannabis on weekends until this use crept in and led to harder drugs, giving drug dealers a larger market.
Many people have dedicated, if not their entire lives, a lot of energy to assist people with drug addictions. Malta salutes each and every one of them for their efforts and tireless efforts. Church institutions and government authorities and agencies work incessantly to save people from their drug addiction. With empathy but with strict rules and regulations, they have seen drug addicts come to their doors and leave after a rehabilitation programme is completed. They have gladly shared experiences and seen ladies and gentlemen of all ages return to their normal lives.
It must take courage from drug addicts to seek help and it is indispensable that our society has the means to support these fragile persons.
The question which keeps coming back is why people, coming from different streams in society with different levels of education and with different income, need to take drugs. Our society must be missing a point. Perhaps it’s time that we start addressing the causes and not solely the symptoms.
People may find difficult to comprehend why or how other people become addicted to drugs. It is often mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower, and that they could stop using drugs whenever they decide to do so. It’s not so simple.
In reality, drug addiction is a complex syndrome, and quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will. In fact, drugs abuse changes the behaviour in many ways. Quitting becomes difficult, even for those who are ready to do so. Fortunately, through scientific advances, we now know more about how drugs work on the brain than ever, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive lives.
Introducing services to help people overcome their addiction, rather than branding someone as a criminal, is probably the best step towards getting people to consider detox. Drug addiction is not a disease but the effects of the addiction will unfortunately not rinse off easily and often remain a social stigma especially when seeking employment, particularly employment in the public service. As the model employer, maybe it’s time for the administration to consider some changes.
In countries where cannabis has been legalised, usage has not dropped; it may even have increased. The move for the decriminalisation of drugs for recreational use is an attempt by drug barons to ensure greater gains and make us believe that no harm is done from the use of such drugs. On the other hand, professionals in government agencies and church-run rehabilitation centres on the frontline maintain to the contrary. This should not be contentious territory. I tend to agree with the latter. After all, I speak from experience having met a number of drug users, their parents and their dependents and have seen for myself the havoc and heartache that such addictions bring.
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