Although Italy and Britain had accepted the doctrine of "diminished responsibility" in drug abuse cases and included it in their law, Malta was still reluctant to comprehend the urgent need to seriously consider the introduction of this concept, President Guido de Marco said yesterday.

"An individual's personal freedom is bound to several different circumstances and, as such, there exist situations where an individual's responsibility could be diminished," Prof. de Marco said after making a Lm10,000 donation to Caritas's San Blas Drug Rehabilitation Centre on behalf of the Malta Community Chest Fund.

Speaking during a visit to the centre in Zebbug, the President heaped praise on the work of Caritas and in particular its director Mgr Victor Grech.

Mgr Grech said the donation was clear recognition of the work being undertaken by Caritas. At the same time it helped in relieving an element of the social stigma which shadowed drug addicts. Unfortunately, the public believed these individuals were entirely responsible for their acts, he said.

"This is because few people are conscious of the fact that individual freedom can be severely diminished due to, among others, personal, familiar, environmental or cultural factors and situations," he said.

He added that through the years, besides the financial support provided by the government, sponsors and other organisations, donations from the general public had been minimal.

The Caritas director said that at present 277 individuals were undergoing rehabilitation, together with another 250 of their families who followed therapy once a week.

Caritas received an average of 110 clients a month, and 75 adolescents aged 17 and under had asked for help in a one-year span, Mgr Grech said.