Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party said today that Malta should stop criminalising persons who make use of drugs for personal use. AD said that Malta should follow the succesful model of countries such as Portugal which decriminalised drugs for personal use.
Michael Briguglio, AD Chairperson, said, “education remains a key tool for policies on drugs. People should be conscious of their various effects and, if they seek help, they should receive it. But criminalising people for making use of drugs has been a failure not only in terms of policy but, even more so, with respect to those whose criminalisation has resulted in a spiral of hardships.
“Personal use of drugs should be decriminalised. The victims of drug addiction and dependency are to be considered as persons in need of help and not as criminals. At the same time, decriminalisation also ensures that recreational drug users, including those who cultivate soft drugs for personal use, are not criminalised for their lifestyle.”
AD spokesperson for Citizenship, Robert Callus said, “with the emphasis being on punishment rather than prevention, treatment and harm reduction, the war on drugs is proving to be a miserable failure. A lot of countries are realising this and re-thinking their legislation. The most notable model is that of Portugal, which AD endorses. In Portugal hard drug addicts decreased by half in ten years, and deaths and HIV also decreased following a successful health campaign.
“Drugs should be classified according to their effect. Besides, certain anomalies should be corrected. For instance nurturing a plant for your own use is not being treated as for your personal use, but it is considered a separate crime, of cultivation, that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence, the equivalent of trafficking, even if the user has absolutely no intention to sell” Robert Callus concluded.