Drug victims undergoing a drug rehabilitation residential programme as part of their prison sentence will be given a weekly allowance, Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina said yesterday.
The measure was hailed by Sedqa chief executive Jean Claude Cardona, who explained that, previously, clients doing the programme as part of their prison sentence were the only ones not receiving the allowance of about €23 (Lm10) a week, which was received by others. This, he said, meant that a number of clients had to ask their family for money to buy cigarettes and toiletries.
"It is a victory that everyone gets the allowance. We are pleased that there will no longer be inequalities within the community," he said, adding that entities running residential programmes had long been insisting that the allowance is given to everyone.
Asked whether it was dangerous to give money to people known to be drug victims, Mr Cardona said the money was kept and managed by the person running the home.
Speaking during the launch of the National Drugs Policy, Ms Cristina also announced that her ministry will be giving Caritas close to €70,000 (Lm30,000) for its harm-reduction shelter while the Housing Authority will be renting out two apartments on behalf of Caritas for the use of young people who have just finished a rehabilitation programme.
Moreover, a National Coordinating Unit for Drugs and Alcohol is being set up to coordinate the implementation of the national policy.
Described as a "milestone" by Richard Muscat, the chairman of the National Commission on the Abuse of Drugs, Alcohol and other Dependencies, the policy brings together all the resources of individual entities regulating drug use in order to optimise resources and streamline the provision of services.
The policy, Prof. Muscat said, is no longer based on emotions or hunches but on hard facts that have been collected over the years. In fact, it was finalised after in-depth discussion prior to a three-month public consultation.
Marisa Scerri, the director of policy and implementation of programmes within the Social Solidarity Ministry, said it was imperative to understand that drug users are also victims who need help to be reintegrated within society. She also emphasised that not only illegal drugs are dangerous; over-the-counter pharmaceuticals could also be risky if used wrongly.
Work on the policy started three years ago with the Twinning Light Project launched by Ms Cristina and the then Dutch Ambassador Joachim Rienko Wilton. Apart from the 47 actions outlined in the draft document unveiled last year, the policy also mentions the importance of analysing and amending the relevant legislation to address substance abuse at the workplace.
Other actions include amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance to provide for a distinction between drug sharing and drug trafficking, a number of measures to reduce the supply of drugs and demand for them, starting from an early age, and continuous monitoring and research.
In Malta cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug, particularly by young people aged between 18 and 24. A number of studies carried out between 1995 and last year have shown an upward trend in cannabis use among 15- to 16-year-olds and an increase in the use of ecstasy and cocaine. Between 1994 and 2006 there were 82 deaths of Maltese residents due to drug abuse and police records show that in 2006 there was a total of 238 overdose cases, up from the 175 the year before and 216 in 2004.