Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia this morning criticised comments by Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna, who on Monday spoke out against the decriminalisation of drugs.
Without specifically mentioning the bishop, the minister noted his comment that decriminalisation could play into the hands of drug barons.
Such views, he said, should not come in the way of a comprehensive reform.
"We can't push (drug) users away. We need to welcome them with open arms and give them all the help possible," he said adding that the reform white paper would be published in the Government Gazette in the coming weeks.
Dr Farrugia spoke about how he had met a family with a history of drug addiction, saying the family had been let down by the judicial and rehabilitative services, underscoring the need for total reform.
Dr Farrugia made his comments as a panel of experts and journalists debated whether drug users should be sent to prison.
Organised by the OASI rehabilitation centre in Gozo, the debate saw lawyer Kathleen Grima; the government's consultant for justice reform, criminal lawyer Franco Debono; forensic scientist Mario Mifsud; psychiatrist Anton Grech; lobbyist David Caruana and a group of journalists discuss the pros and cons of introducing a decriminalisation policy.
Asked by this newspaper whether they agreed with the concept in principle, the two panels declined to commit to an answer, claiming there was not enough time to answer the question.
Many of the panel members, however, did gesture towards taking a position, during their own personal interventions.
The chairman of the Mental Health Services, Dr Grech said he did not feel users should be sent to prison but should receive treatment. He later specified that this was his personal opinion and did not necessarily reflect that of the MHS.
The sentiment was shared by the majority of the audience, which included spokespersons from various drug rehabilitation centres and national agencies, including the National Drug Commission, which said it was in favour of decriminalisation.
The former head of the National Forensic Laboratory, Mario Mifsud, did not commit to a position on the matter but he had previously told this newspaper that he felt decriminalisation was "inevitable". He is currently advising MPs on the up coming drug reform.
Journalist Raphael Vassallo and depenalisation campaigner David Caruana also expressed themselves in favour of decriminalisation.
Television personality Peppi's Azzopardi said he agreed with the late Guido de Marco who had said users shouldn't be sent to prison. He later said he has no problem with his son’s teacher smoking cannabis on the weekend but would not want him to teach while high. He then raised the question- should we test teachers urine for drug use?
When he spoke on traffickers, he said that addicts with serious addiction all turned to dealing to sustain their habit.
Dr Debono said he felt the judiciary should have the discretion to hand down non custodial sentences in cases of aggravated drug possession.