The government has chosen political opportunism against people’s needs in its national policy against drug abuse, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, MLP spokesperson on social solidarity, said.

The government had neglected the sector and it was only the EU which forced it to act, by stipulating a deadline by which a national policy would have to be established.

After much bragging about wide consultation on this policy, she said, the final policy which was presented just days ago had only minor changes from the original draft published months ago.

While the government bragged that this was a national policy, it had not found any time for consultation, even with the opposition.

The policy now referred more to the setting up of new structures than the strengthening of existing ones.

Ms Coleiro Preca said the government should be ashamed to present a national policy which did not reflect all the aspects of the problem and which did not effectively address the many difficulties that existed.