Altering the state of mind

Richard Muscat, chairman of the National Commission on the Abuse of Alcohol, Drugs and other Dependencies, is hopeful that the new year will see the introduction of the first national drug policy. He tells Ariadne Massa that its core aim is to minimise the harm caused by drugs and point people in the right direction.

Prof. Muscat rushes to the interview 15 minutes late, plonks himself on a chair, runs his fingers through his hair and gets down to business. He's a man who tries to cram a million things in 24 hours, making you wonder if he's discovered some new drug during his research.

"Work is my stimulant," he says flashing a smile, and sheepishly admitting that he had stayed up most of the previous night to round off a draft version of Malta's first national drug policy, before handing it to the Social Solidarity Ministry.

Insisting that it is not his call to reveal the policy's details, Prof. Muscat says he is keen to see it being introduced in the coming year.

The policy is the culmination of a lot of hard work, which started two years ago with the Twinning Light Project signed between Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina and the then Dutch Ambassador Rienko Wilton.

The project provided the necessary impetus and money so that for the first time in history all the data from all the organisations, such as police arrests and Customs' seizures, among others, could be pooled together in a coherent and more organised manner.

As a result of this teamwork, two national drug reports have been completed and included in the annual report drawn up by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) among the 25 EU member states, Norway, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

"Any relationship is based on trust and trust takes time to develop. There's now a research and data network and we're working together. At last we can finally formalise the idea of a national drug policy," Prof. Muscat says.

The policy's core aim is to minimise the harm caused by drugs and point people in the right direction.

"Just a few years ago we never had a focal point but we are now working very well as a team, from the police, to Caritas, Sedqa and Oasi, to create a seamless service," he adds.

"The policy is geared to educate the public to cut use in the first place, to stop the abuse and, more importantly, to help those who have fallen into the trap and become addicts. If they slip through the ring let's catch them again. The bottom line is less use of anything."

All the research collated over the past two years allows decision-makers to get a clear picture of the drugs' situation in Malta, while comparing it to the situation in the EU.

EMCDDA's report on The State Of The Drugs Problem In Europe, launched last month in Brussels, revealed some interesting comparisons, such as the fact that Malta remains among the most expensive countries when it comes to the purchase of illicit drugs.

The report reveals wide discrepancies in the average retail price between one country and another, such as €2.30 per gramme of cannabis grass in Portugal, compared to €11.60 per gramme in Malta.

Prof. Muscat believes everything was relative. He doubted how many were actually forking out such money when considering how many people had been caught growing the drug in their homes or fields. What worried him were the heroin addicts because their life became a complete mess once they got hooked, making them vulnerable to the possibility of contracting HIV by sharing infected needles.

This year the Disease Surveillance Unit was informed of two cases of HIV among intravenous drug users; both are foreign men living in Malta.

In October 2004, Malta had no reported cases of HIV contracted through the use of infected needles by drug abusers, but Prof. Muscat had then warned that the island had to keep its vigil if it were to avoid an "explosion".

How did he look on the situation now?

"The situation worries me, because whether you like it or not HIV is now present among the community of drug users. You also have to keep in mind that these figures are only those collected from drug users who are registered and tested," he points out.

However, Prof. Muscat is still optimistic that HIV can be kept at bay citing Malta's syringe programme as the reason behind the low numbers.

The EMCDDA report finds that Malta provides a staggering average of 210 syringes to every user each year (about four a week to each addict), the third highest rate in Europe after Luxembourg and Norway.

Injecting drug users are at a very high risk of experiencing adverse consequences such as serious infectious diseases or overdoses by sharing needles.

"It's crucial that this programme continues because as you can see the proof of the pudding is in the eating - they are less likely to share syringes if they can get new ones for free," he says.

A man who has a pulse on what is happening on the drug scene in Malta, Prof. Muscat believes that the use and abuse of cocaine is rising. Last year's data has already showed that it was on the rise with more people seeking treatment for their coke habit.

Cocaine is the most trafficked drug in the world after cannabis, with an estimated 10 million Europeans having tried this drug at least once.

Stimulants such as ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine were mostly being used by the party generation in Malta. However, most simply experimented and then moved on and got on with their life.

"I worry about the kids who may be cutting off their chances of a good future. If you drink too much on the weekend, by Monday evening you're back to being yourself, but if you took ecstasy you have till Wednesday to start functioning normally and if you're at work or school then it's a waste of time. These are the crucial parts of their life and that's why we're worried, because they're limiting their chance of climbing the career ladder," he says, ruffling his hair to stress the point.

Prof. Muscat believes there is adequate education in schools, but it took a strong personality to stand up to peer pressure.

"If you paid me a million pounds I would not go back to being 15 or 16 years old. At that age you're completely mixed up and so many questions enter your head. It's very difficult to stand up on your own," he says.

He feels young people need support to deal with all this. But the way society was heading, with separations becoming the norm, young people were becoming more confused.

"The family unit gives you the stability you need so once you get the guidance you're able to make the right decisions."

Could drug use ever be eradicated?

"I doubt it. Since time immemorial humans have been on a mission to alter their state of mind - we turned grapes into wine, and opium poppies into heroin. If you stop and think people are also abusing medication on a regular basis. This is human nature. The point is to reduce it," he says in an optimistic tone.