I read Mr Falzon’s letter entitled “Heavy investment, little dividend” (StoM, 2 October) in which he mentioned two foreigners sentenced to a combined total of 24 years imprisonment for importing drugs. Since then there have been at least another six people accused of committing the same crime.

What Mr Falzon said then rings true now − “To say that the two stories are tragic is to put it very mildly.” Four of them are in their twenties, one a mother. Victims of the war on drugs.

I say victims because that is precisely what they are. They are not producing or selling the drugs. Their identity is completely irrelevant to their jobs – that is to say, their employers could very easily find someone else to do it. And I’m sure they did, as the amount of drugs available changed little.

The authorities, and society in general, need to understand a very basic idea – that people will continue demanding drugs regardless of their legality, and other people will continue providing them. Key people in the supply chain can make millions without paying a cent of tax (except perhaps for the money needed to corrupt officials) while those who are expendable take the highest risks for the least gain.

Mr Falzon also mentioned the report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, complied by reputable politicians, officials and entrepreneurs. He says the report was published and did not arouse “as much controversy as one would have liked”. Very far from what one would have liked in fact. In Malta it was soundly ignored and, although some organisations did comment in support of the issue, politicians stayed well away from the subject. KSU did issue a report in response to it, but this was ignored just as soundly.

The fact is that drug policy reform is an urgent issue. People keep on being sent to prison, at great cost to the taxpayer, families are torn apart, diverting police attentions from investigating serious crimes while being a source of much corruption in administrations worldwide.

And it doesn’t even work. The mind boggles when one thinks that all this is for nothing. This policy does not address the spread of HIV/AIDS or hepatitis due to the sharing of needles; it does not address the fact that one is never quite sure of what one is getting (no quality control), thus increasing the risk for the user; it does not address addiction rates; it does not address the fact that one wanting to get high can get high on heroin far more cheaply than cannabis or alcohol; it interferes with proper education on drug use and, to top it all, prohibition has little or no effect on even casual usage rates! In Portugal, which removed criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of all drugs, the use of hard drugs and infections related to drugs decreased while the number of people seeking help increased. True, cannabis use did increase slightly, but hey, who wouldn’t prefer people using cannabis to heroin or cocaine? The Netherlands, with its liberal stance on cannabis, has less people using it than in the much harsher UK. Sweden has much harsher laws than neighbouring Norway, but they have the same addiction rates.

While this is going on, alcohol is freely drunk in a social setting. Priests drink a glass of wine during Mass. How is this different to smoking a joint? It should be noted that in the USA, yearly deaths related to prescription drugs stand at over 30,000. Those related to alcohol are over 80,000, while poor exercise and/or a poor diet take over 300,00 lives. Tobacco kills over 400,000.

Not a single death has been attributed to marijuana.

So please, be rational, and tell me what the problem is. The most used answer is that it is easily abused. So what? Alcohol is easily abused. Owning a car is easily abused, food is easily abused, television and the Internet are easily abused, guns are easily abused, religion and politics are easily abused, power is easily abused... but none of these are illegal. Most of them are actually regulated.

And why are some drugs legal while others aren’t? Caffeine, tobacco and alcohol are all sold freely to those old enough. All are easily abused and more harmful than cannabis.

Come on, it’s sick and sad that we cannot just open our eyes to the facts and get a move on. This is not a liberal or conservative issue; this is not about which side you’re on; this isn’t about anything other than having policies based on facts and evidence, which can really work. Look at any of the models being experimented with in Europe, or find one better suited to the local context.

We have a solid track record of compassion, human rights, entrepreneurship, and other valuable qualities. Lets stop being dinosaurs when it comes to social issues to make Malta a more open, healthier, happier and better society.

Robert Fenech

MOSTA