The decriminalisation of drugs for personal use is inevitable if Malta is to continue following the UN’s lead, an expert advising Parliament has told The Sunday Times of Malta.
“The United Nations has started to shift towards the decriminalisation of drugs and Malta has always followed the UN’s position on this issue,” former director of the National Forensic Lab Mario Mifsud said.
Dr Mifsud said Maltese lawmakers were already moving towards a decriminalisation policy but would eventually be forced to make a choice by the international community.
The UN has not yet taken an official stand on the issue but Dr Mifsud said it appeared to be moving towards a softer legal stance on the issue after a number of countries decriminalised drug use. The use of cannabis for personal use has been decriminalised in 16 US states, the most recent one being Colorado, and Washington state is expected to follow suit this year. Uruguay also recently decriminalised the drug.
A pharmacologist specialised in illicit drugs, Dr Mifsud has been advising Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee on the state of Malta’s drug laws. Last week he urged MPs to take a decision on the matter before reviewing the local legislation.
“MPs need to decide whether the country should continue pursuing the prohibition of drugs or not before any review on the state of drug laws begins.
“This requires a lengthy examination and must be done properly,” he said, adding not enough research was being carried out on the local drug scene.
Justice Parliamentary Secretary Owen Bonnici is currently drafting the first review of the country’s drug laws with a White Paper expected to be tabled before the summer parliamentary recess.
The review will see first time offenders – found in possession of drugs for personal use – avoid being processed through the criminal courts. Instead, they will stand before a non-judicial body as part of the government’s Arrest Referral Scheme.
Dr Mifsud said the criminal prosecution of drug users had failed. “The abuse of drugs is an illness and requires treatment. Criminal proceedings do not help the situation. The shift towards treatment has been a long time coming,” he said, adding the war on drugs had not produced the necessary results.
In 2012, the government had spent €5.4 million in the fight against drugs.