Indeed there is nothing as devastating to parents as a child who abuses drugs. Warning them over and over again to stop using drugs or death will be the ultimate result seems to be of no avail. Asking them to enter a drug rehabilitation programme is like telling them to live in a room filled with venomous snakes.

They are literally sick people who do not think of themselves, let alone of the people who love them dearly. In April 2005, it was estimated that there were between 2,800 and over 3,500 heroin users in Malta. Personally I don’t believe in the statistic. You cannot write these figures as an estimate on account of how many heroin users go to “cure” themselves of this habit by going for their methadone treatment, because there are many heroin users on the street who don’t give a hoot about methadone because they are knee-deep in the heroin pit. Although the government is spending around Lm1.6 million to combat drug abuse, facts show that it is not enough, otherwise the drug problem would have decreased rather than increased.

Apart from the physical harm that heroin abuse does to the individual, one has to consider the heroin abuser’s need to sustain his addiction and to do this, one needs money and not sweets.

Therefore it is fair to say that the substance abuse is causing a great dilemma to parents, people on the streets, shop owners, etc.

The questions that arise on account of the drug situation in Malta are various.

Question number one is whether we are doing our utmost to keep the young occupied enough to stay away from drugs.

Question number two relates to whether we are guilty of putting a lot of stress and pressure on the young, leading them to believe that using drugs is the only solution for them to “relax”.

Question number three focuses on the efficacy of our education system in dealing with the matter.

Such instruction is essential since the temptation to taste “the forbidden fruit” exists forever. Between 1991 and 2005, there were over 65 drug-related deaths, which makes one wonder whether there is much awareness about this problem.

Question number four – the final one – is my wondering whether instead of lessons concerning mathematics, science or English there should be more lessons about drug abuse and the repercussions that the use of drugs brings with them.

I think it’s high time that instead of teaching our children to study enough in order to have a brilliant career in the future, we teach them the “art” of having a future, a future without drugs on the agenda.

More and more youngsters are falling victims to heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, etc.

We just cannot afford more lives to be terminated because of drug abuse.

Valerie Borg

MLP Councillor

Valletta