Caritas director Mgr Victor Grech said yesterday the law dealing with drug abuse should be revised in order to clarify what constituted trafficking and abuse within the context of today's life.

The law should remove the distinction between light and heavy drugs because regular use of drugs caused both physical and mental harm, he said.

Mgr Grech added that the possibility of agencies administering methadone to those following a rehabilitation programme should be examined.

He was speaking at the graduation ceremony of 16 young people who successfully completed Caritas' rehabilitation programme from the Foundation of New Hope, San Blas Complex.

At present, there are 167 youths in different phases of the programme as well as members of their families who are concurrently undergoing a family therapy programme tailor-made for their needs.

Mgr Grech called on parents to become protagonists in the fight against drug trafficking and encouraged them to make the first move if their child was getting wasted. "Parents can no longer remain observers when the life and safety of their children was being threatened," he said.

Mgr Grech said that thanks to this programme young people had started a new life and he emphasised the importance of strengthening existing programmes and services in society and aim to avoid duplication.