Should dangerous drugs be legalised?

Many moons ago it was Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici who said it. On September 15, 2003, it was Labour candidate and article writer Joe Sammut who repeated it. I did not agree with either of them and my feelings are still the same in 2010. Drugs should never be allowed into our country with our consent.

If I said that there were no advantages to legalising drugs, I would be a liar. The drug would be cheaper, it would be more pure, it would be accessible all the time and it would not be a hassle to find out which "drug baron" was selling it.

The drug lords and drug traffickers would have to find some other way to fatten up their purses but... would legalising drugs stimulate a drug addict to give up this fiendish substance and seek help?

Another form of concern is which type of drug one should legalise. Is it to be cocaine, cannabis, heroin... the list is endless. Would it be true to state that if drugs were legalised and the drug of one's choice were found everywhere, even the most sensible person would be prone to abusing drugs just because it was so easy to get hold of?

Last but not least, which parent would sleep soundly knowing that a corner away, not a new brand of chocolate is for sale, not some cute pet that would make the family complete but heroin, cocaine, cannabis... again the list is endless.

The government and the opposition have been at loggerheads over a thousand things for years on end. If it's not the tariffs on water and electricity bills, it's our national debt. If it's not our national debt, it's the high cost of living. The drug issue is a political issue so for once can't they get together and rack their brains over how they are going to tackle this problem? There are around 110,000 families living in Malta and many of them are living with a drug-addicted teenager. It is up to politicians not to let drugs enter our country which so far are as easy to come by as finding a nurse in a hospital. Surely it shouldn't be that difficult on such a minute island.