Prison inmates are being given the opportunity to overcome their drug habit at a halfway house run by Caritas.
Speaking during a visit to the halfway house, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said the government is giving drug users the chance to reform, and this chance should not be wasted.
He explained that inmates are given the opportunity to spend between 8 to 10 months of their prison sentence at Dar Sant’Anna rehabilitation centre in Bahar ic-Caghaq.
The centre currently hosts 12 inmates undergoing a drug reform programme.
Dr Abela said tackling drug abuse in prison is a priority for the government.
He said that while the new drugs law is more forgiving on people caught with small amounts of drugs for personal use, the government is in no way condoning drug use, and will continue to come down hard on drug traffickers.
Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the new law offers people a one-off chance to reform.
He explained to a number of inmates that within one to three years of their release, they can apply to have their police conduct wiped as long as they have not committed any further crimes.
A number of inmates spoke about the problem of drug abuse in prison, and said inmates need to be given more support in order to overcome their drug habits.