Certain drugs are arriving on users’ doorsteps via courier service, thanks to the exploitation of loopholes related to their ingredients which made them legal, according to a youth worker from Aġenzija Appoġġ.
The drug of the moment that is being delivered by courier service to users’ doors could be referred to as pseudo cannabis but legally it does not qualify because its active ingredient is not THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
Although it is another plant, however, it still has a psychoactive ingredient that affects the brain and is the same type of mood-altering substance that cannabis users are accustomed to, explained Remona Cuschieri, who leads the Youth in Focus service of Appoġġ, part of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services. She has been dealing with addictions for 15 years.
Since the substance is not illegal, police intervention is useless and users get away with it, she said.
“These loopholes have always existed and always will, particularly thanks to the internet and its increased accessibility,” Ms Cuschieri maintained.
“The market also creates the supply: if someone has the chance to sell something, the likelihood is that the product will be created and put on the market,” she said, pointing out that the sellers were almost more aware of the loopholes than the users.
This pseudo cannabis is not the only drug that can be received in the mail – it is just the latest. And given the fast-changing face of drugs, by next month it would probably be some other substance, Ms Cuschieri admitted.
Professionals can keep up with the pace but they are usually always one step behind the users and are often informed by them about the new drug on the scene.
“Sometimes, we learn about these things from what is happening abroad, which normally occurs simultaneously here. In some cases, when the substances are coming from Africa, Malta actually gets there before Europe.”
The truth was that the fast pace at which drugs were changing was simply symptomatic of what was going on in the world in general, she maintained. It applied to fashion and the constant quest for the latest thing.
“This phenomenon is not too different from the need to change to the latest mobile. It is a matter of lifestyle, and for many, drugs are part of that too.”
In one summer, so many different types of ecstasy hit the market, each with a different look, she pointed out, adding that this was in keeping with any youngster’s way of thinking – always seeking the ultimate experience.
Despite being completely aware of the fast pace at which drugs change, Ms Cuschieri is not obsessed with what is the latest substance on the scene.
“As a youth worker, I am not that concerned about the substance per se; it does not really make a difference. What interests me is the fact that youths are looking for something outside themselves to alter their moods.”
Having said that, she is highly concerned about the news that a whole bunch of users recently overdosed due to a consignment of what was sold as heroin.
“I do believe the more restrictions on supply, the less the demand,” she said, referring to the recent criminalisation of mephedrone, which meant buyers and sellers held back more – and some actually stopped the use completely.