This week, in anticipation of the International Day Against Drug Abuse (26 June) Justice Minister Tonio Borg released an official statement in which he reiterated his government’s concern with the drug situation.

Drug abuse, said Dr Borg, ruins the lives of many young people from all walks of life and social standings in Malta and abroad. He added that recent changes were made to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance to remove the controversial six-month minimum prison sentence for the trafficking of illicit substances, irrespective of quantity or type.

The Minister also reiterated his pledge to propose additional amendments to the law, once the committee convened by former president Guido de Marco, and consisting of “all the major stakeholders involved”, had prepared its report on the issue.

In his statement Dr Borg also claimed that, “with the Opposition... also in favour of the reform”, he was optimistic that the process would be speedy.

Labour’s reaction

The Justice Minister’s optimism, however, appears to have been premature.

In an angrily worded counter-statement, Labour’s spokesman for the Interior Gavin Gulia complained that the government had totally ignored his own recommendations for the reform, which include a discussion at the level of the House’s Permanent Committee for Social Affairs.

“On 8 May... I wrote to the Hon. Helen Damato, as Chairperson of the Permanent Committee for Social Affairs and asked her to convene the committee for this purpose. Six weeks have elapsed, and this appeal has fallen on deaf ears.”

Dr Gulia also complained that, while ostensibly acknowledging the Opposition’s support, the Minister was simply forging ahead with his own plans regardless of the Labour Party’s involvment.

“The Labour Opposition will not allow itself to be steamrolled by the Nationalist government. Moreover it will not accept being faced with an amendment to the law in Parliament unless it has been widely discussed beforehand in the Permanent Committee for Social Affairs. Neither will it accept that the Social Affairs Committee be used simply as a rubber-stamp for whatever the so-called committee, appointed by the Minister outside Parliament, has improvised on its own (hawwad wahdu).”

The proposed amendments

The suggested drug law reform, to which both parties appear to agree, aims to address two apparent shortcomings in Malta’s Dangerous Drugs’ Ordinance Act. The first is the sensitive issue of “drug sharing”. In its present form, Malta’s drug laws fail to make a clear distinction between drug trafficking and the act of sharing illicit substances among users.

Observers active in the field of drug rehab have repeatedly expressed their concern at this anomaly, arguing that in the case of an overdose, the person with whom the drugs were shared may refuse to seek medical aid for fear of legal consequences... sometimes with tragic results.

The other issue concerns the legal status of drugs... Malta being the only EU member State where the law does not make any clear distinction between hard and soft drugs.

Both issues are considered highly sensitive in a country where the drug problem is perceived to be a major cause for concern.

Contraband alcohol seized on entry by police and Customs

On Friday night, members of the Police Anti Fraud squad, together with Customs officials, intercepted a ship attempting to smuggle alcohol into the country.

The contraband alcohol was being unloaded by the crateful under cover of darkness in the port at Ras Hanzir at the time of the raid. In all, 26 crates of six litre-bottles each were retrieved from the scene.

Two of the ship’s crew members, of Ukrainian and Romanian nationality, have been arrested in connection with the crime.

They are expected to be arraigned in the coming days.

The investigation is being conducted by members of the Police’s Economic Crimes Unit.