In the European Drug Report 2013, it was observed that cocaine is fast becoming cheaper and more easily obtainable throughout Europe and Malta is no exception.

In reference to Malta, the report found that 0.4% of the general population aged between 15 and 64 had used cocaine at least once in their lifetime. However, in the 15-16 age bracket, that percentage spikes up to 4 %. This is worrying. Drugs, consumed regularly, lead to addiction. There is also scientific proof to show that lasting damage can be caused when youngsters consume drugs on a regular basis. In fact, the younger they start and the longer they abuse, the more chance for permanent damage to be caused.

Malta has a number of drug rehabilitation centres, including those specifically for youngsters. There is a good success rate and the programme is established and executed according to international standards. However, in the same mentioned report, it was found that Malta does not have a cocaine specific treatment centre.

Drugs are harmful. There is no doubt. But there is also a difference between people who use them on the odd occasion and those who are well and truly hooked. Drugs can never be eradicated – they are a fact of life. Parents, schools and various organizations can try to help youngsters see the danger of dabbling in drugs, but at the end of the day it is up to the individual. But when people get to a stage where they are visibly ruining their mental and physical health – having to steal to feed their addictions, then there is a very, very serious problem.

The two drugs (though others are not excluded) which are often identified with people hitting rock bottom are cocaine and heroin. We do not believe that addicts should be locked up and the key thrown away. They are not, by definition, criminals. They are sick and they need help, just as much as a sick person who must steal to eat, needs help.

And this is why the government and the relevant authorities must invest in specialized centres to deal with cocaine and heroin addicts. There is a centre for methadone distribution – but it is antiquated and needs to be brought up to date with modern therapy for heroin addicts. But with cocaine, treatment is different. Longtime and binge use of cocaine leads to mental instability, chronic mood swings, permanent paranoia, and in some cases psychosis. It also causes people’s character to change. Even when they do manage to claw themselves out of the hole that is addiction, their personality is altered – permanently.

The hole is always there, and when people who have been clean for years lapse, they tend to lapse heavily.  The psychosis resembles paranoid schizophrenia and requires specific medical treatment to be brought under control. Treatment also requires a specific ambience and atmosphere and scientific studies have proven that better recovery rates are registered when this is put into practice.