On Sunday 2 July, Dr Wenzu Mintoff wrote one of his superb articles on It-Torca articles which I am “addicted” to and which I look for first as soon as the newspaper is placed in my hands. In the last part of his article, Mr Mintoff mentioned that Mgr Victor Grech recently alleged that thousands of youngsters are being virtually destroyed by the abuse of drugs with heroin at the top of the list.

Now we’ve got to admit that nobody in life can really “feel” the consequences of a sorrowful experience as much as the person who has experienced it first hand.

Therefore I will be so blunt as to say that since drug addiction somehow found its way into my family, I feel that I am an expert on the subject.

In Malta, we have a law that is fundamentally mistaken, something that should be amended as soon as possible because if we’re going to remain status quo, more and more youngsters are going to have a coffin as their residence.

This is the situation at present: A mother watches her son imdamdam (broken in a pitiful condition) every day because of his drug addiction.

She phones up the police but as long as drugs are not found on his person, the prospects of doing something to save him are nil. Now as far as I know, drugs for personal use are illegal but as things are right now, the user has to die and an autopsy would have to be performed on the deceased before. Needless to say, the police or drug squad can verify whether the person was using drugs or it goes without saying that that nobody will prosecute the dead.

There are thousands of parents who are facing this dilemma. Reporting their children instead of letting them die, yet all you get for your pains is profound sympathy and nothing else. There is no doubt that first blame is on the user himself but isn’t this a case of Rome burning while stupid Nero played his violin? There are young girls taking to prostitution to keep their habit, yet even here, the law is Nero playing his violin since when has prostitution become legal?

Sons and daughters are having overdoses and dying because as much we drone on and on that drugs are illegal, it’s ok to use them as long as they are not found on your person or handbag. Are the drug squad only meant to pounce on drug traffickers or are they blind to the addict who is committing a slow suicide by actually using what is illegal? How many parents are facing this predicament like myself?

Valerie Borg

Valletta