Malta has high rate of heroin users

The proportion of drug addicts who use heroin is high compared to other European countries, Sedqa said yesterday.

The national agency against alcohol and drug abuse said it was estimated that Malta had one of the highest figures of heroin addicts receiving treatment. Last year, 958 people attended the Detox Centre to get methadone, the substitute for heroin.

According to the European Collaborating Centres in Addiction Studies' (ECCAS) 2002 report the time within which a local first-time heroin user seeks treatment is one of the shortest in Europe. "This effectively means there is enough pressure through the family and prevention programmes that compel users to seek treatment as early as possible after the onset of their addiction," the agency's spokesman said, adding it also indicated that the local treatment services were both accessible and responded well to the real needs of clients.

Last year, 1,444 people sought treatment for drug addiction in Malta, 1,161 of whom benefited from Sedqa's services.

A former addict following a residential programme said in a statement that what had led him to drugs was his "lack of interest" in what went on around him, adding that he did not appreciate what he had. "I believe it was all my fault; when I was young, I had behavioural problems, I used to skip school to go out with my friends, bully other people, smoke and drink beer behind my parents' back," he said.

The 24-year-old, who said he has been on drugs for about nine years, said he started smoking marijuana and drinking excessively after which he reverted to harder drugs, feeling he needed something heavier. He stole money from both his family and people he did not know. It got to a point where he did not know what was happening around him, until he was referred to Sedqa's services.

In its message for European Day Against Drugs, being celebrated today, Sedqa said it was paying particular attention to heroin addicts in view of the inherent dangers posed by abuse of this drug - the contraction of HIV and Hepatitis C. It said the main warning is that heroin users should never share needles and never engage in unprotected sex.

The agency also encourages abusers to seek treatment in order to minimise health risks to themselves and others, especially if they have children whom they need to care for.

Sedqa emphasised the need for an ongoing effort to prevent substance abuse and educate people about the dangers, while at the same time caring for those who have already been "taken over by their addiction" and trying to minimise the harm done to them.

As part of its effort to curb abuse and also help the abusers, the agency has coordinated a series of events with the aim of generating more awareness about substance abuse. Since October 1, agency representatives have been present at the Junior College as part of an educational and outreach exercise for young adults.

Last Saturday, a group of Sedqa clients undergoing a residential rehabilitation programme at Santa Marija carried out community work at Dar il-Kaptan.

The spokesman said prevention programmes were also being coordinated in schools and public talks were being held in collaboration with a number of local councils and organisations.

In her message for the occasion, Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina said the government was committed to embarking on a fresh strategy to tackle the problem of addiction in Malta.

Closer follow-ups of heroin addicts, including greater support for their children and greater control of under-age drinking, as well as more control of drinking and driving, were among the priorities. She said the current level of control of those who drink and drive needed to be stepped up even if this required changes in legislation.