Government improves assistance for drug rehabilitation programmes

The Social Solidarity Ministry will be giving €69,000 (Lm30,000) to Caritas for its drug harm reduction shelter, Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina announced this morning.

Funds will also be given to entities running drug rehabilitation programmes so that they can give a weekly allowance to those who opt to follow a residential programme rather than a prison sentence.

She also announced that the Housing Authority will be renting out two apartments for youths who finished residential programmes and need some help to integrate in society.

Ms Cristina was speaking during the launch of Malta's first National Drugs Policy, which will be coordinated by a newly set up National Coordinating Unit.

She said the policy equips the players in the field with the necessary tools to battle the narcotics problem in a more coordinated way. It streamlines the practices to be adopted by various bodies involved in providing drug-related services and aims to improve the quality and increase the provision of services as well as provide a more coordinated mechanism to reduce the supply and demand of drugs.