The 2005 national report on the drug situation in Malta shows that in 2004, 86 per cent of Caritas clients, although having a history of poly-substance abuse, used heroin as a primary drug, Caritas Director Mgr Victor Grech said yesterday.
Two per cent of all Caritas clients started drinking alcohol or taking drugs between the ages of 8-10 years, Mgr Grech added.
Speaking at a press conference to launch a DVD of the two Xarabank programmes on drugs which were aired recently on PBS, Mgr Grech said that he believed that there were thousands of people who were destroying themselves with drugs every day and that this programme was a shocking eye-opener to many.
He revealed that after the programme was aired, hundreds of youths attended Caritas’ Induction Centre in Floriana to ask about the rehabilitation programme. The Lm45,000 collected during the two programmes would go towards the daily running costs of the Harm Reduction Centre, Mgr. Grech added.
Where’s Everybody producer Peppi Azzopardi said that the response to the programmes had been completely overwhelming and the company had decided to do its bit by making them available on DVD so that it could be distributed in schools. He thanked PBS for allowing the programme to be put on DVD and expressed his wish that many more people would be made aware of the extent of the drug problem.
Answering a question from The Malta Independent, Mr Azzopardi confirmed that there were several drug users who refused to be interviewed. However, those who eventually accepted felt a relieving experience and their story had a telling effect on the audience, he added.
In a message for World Drugs Day, celebrated yesterday, Mgr Grech said that in today’s world there are three principal movements which are: mobility of persons, mobility of merchandise and the image projected that man is the centre of himself. He said that the illegal trading in drugs was the second most lucrative business after the sale of arms.
Mgr Grech said that the culture being projected was that one had to drink heavily or take drugs to enjoy him/herself. He said that he felt that the battle against drugs in Malta and Gozo was being lost as those who have money and friends can buy as much drugs as they want.
The Caritas Director called for more awareness in schools on the problem, further help from the state so that Caritas can continue assisting persons and families afflicted by this scourge, better educational programmes on drugs for parents and the intensification of the fight against drugs.
The DVD is called Jew High jew Haj (Either high on drugs or alive) and will start being shown during PSD lessons for all secondary school students aged 11+, Education Division Director General Cecilia Borg said.
The estimated number of problematic drug users in Malta, defined as “current daily heroin users”, is about 1,500 to 1,700 aged between 15 and 64.
Compared to other EU countries, Malta ranks on the high side, indicating that heroin use is still a major problem here. Cocaine and cannabis are the most popular secondary drugs among registered clients in treatment at Caritas.