In a press statement ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said: “The White paper concerning the decriminalisation of cannabis possession for personal use announced by the Prime Minister earlier this week is a positive step. Drug policy in Malta requires a human face.” ‘According to recently published statistics, every day at least one person is dragged to court or a tribunal for ‘drug possession’, while sixty percent of cases before the drug tribunal are for the possession of cannabis Over the years, despite the rhetoric and crocodile tears, authorities have ignored the suffering of thousands of people because of the so-called and ridiculous war on whoever smokes a joint. Victims of hard drugs are also made into victims of the justice system. Hopefully the reform that Government is saying it will implement will at least mean that drugs are classified into hard drugs and other lighter drugs, and that at long last Government will choose to decriminalise possession of drugs for personal use and follow the recommendations of the Global Commission on Drug Policy (http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/reports ): drug use should no longer be considered a criminal offence, and that, particularly when it comes to cannabis, we should stop once and for all destroying people’s lives because they grow some plants for personal use, or because they share a joint. This fixation on cannabis is a waste of Police resources and energy. Police certainly have better things to do, such as focusing on drug traffickers, tax fraud, and on combating violent and organised crime.”
ADPD spokesperson Samuel Muscat continued: “We at ADPD will continue to insist on our concrete proposals as laid out in the Alternattiva Demokratika 2017 election manifesto. Personal use of drugs should be decriminalised and the emphasis of drug policy should be on a social and medical model, and not on criminalising drug users. The criminalisation of drug users has completely failed, as even the United Nations claims. Those who are victims of heavy drugs have also ended up being victimised all over again, because instead of medical and social assistance they have ended up stuck in the criminal justice system.”
“We want a system similar to the model used in Portugal. Anyone with a drug addiction problem should find support and help. The resources being wasted in the war on drug victims should instead be used to strengthen the services of youth and community workers in our communities, to strengthen cultural and educational initiatives and community building skills. The Portuguese model has worked, it has reduced the harm on users and reduced the abuse of drugs.”
“Our policy on cannabis is that cannabis should fall into a category of a legally regulated substance. For us it is clear and straightforward: cannabis use and growth for personal use must be decriminalised. The sale of certain types of cannabis should be regulated in the same way as the sale of tobacco and alcohol is regulated and taxed.”
Carmel Cacopardo concluded by saying that it is unacceptable for the state to try to show that it is doing something about drugs by dragging thousands of people to court every year. Instead the state should use its resources to offer more services to youth and community workers in our communities, to strengthen medical and social services to victims of heavy drugs and to break organised crime circles that have been allowed to thrive.
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Il-politika dwar id-droga f’Malta teħtieġ wiċċ uman
Fi stqarrija ċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD Carmel Cacopardo qal: “Il-White Paper dwar id-dikriminalizzazzjoni tal-pussess tal-kannabis għall-użu personali,mħabbra mill-Prim Ministru iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa hi pass pożittiv. Il-politika dwar id-droga f’Malta teħtieġ wiċċ uman. Skont statistika ippublikata riċentament, kuljum tal-anqas persuna waħda titkaxkar il-qorti jew f’xi tribunal minħabba r-reat ta’ ‘pussess tad-droga’, filwaqt li sittin fil-mija tal-każijiet quddiem it-tribunal dwar id-droga huma fuq pussess tal-kannabis. Tul is-snin minkejja r-retorika u d-dmugħ tal-kukkudrilli l-awtoritajiet ġew jaqgħu u jqumu mill-martirju li jkollhom jgħaddu minnu eluf ta’ persuni minħabba l-gwerra fuq min ippejjep sempliċi joint. Min huwa vittma ta’ drogi qawwija ukoll jispiċċa jagħmluh vittma tas-sistema tal-ġustizzja. Nisperaw li r-riforma li qed jindika li se jagħmel il-Gvern tal-anqas tfisser li d-drogi jiġu klassifikati f’sustanizi qawwija u oħrajn aktar leġġeri, u li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar il-Gvern jagħżel li jiddikriminalizza l-pussess tad-droga għall-użu personali u jsegwi r-rakkomandazzjonijiet tal-Kummissjoni Globali dwar il-Politika fuq id-Droga (The Global Commission On Drug Policy http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/reports): jiġifieri li min juża d-droga ma jibqax jitqies bħala kriminal, u li, partikolarment fejn tidħol il-kannabis, bħala pajjiż ma nibqgħux neqirdu ħajjet il-persuni għax ikabbru xi xtieli għall-użu personali jew għax jaqsmu xi joint. Il-fissazzjoni fuq il-kannabis qed tfisser ħela ta’ riżorsi u enerġija tal-Pulizija, li żgur għandhom affarijiet aħjar x’jagħmlu, bħal per eżempju jiffokaw fuq min jittraffika d-droga, il-frodi fit-taxxi, u jikkumbattu aħjar l-kriminali vjolenti u l-kriminalità organizzata.”
Il-kelliem ta’ ADPD Samuel Muscat kompla:”Aħna, nibqgħu nsostnu l-proposti konkreti tagħna kif elenkati fil-manifest elettorali ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika tal-2017. Fil-qasam tad-droga, l-użu personali għandu jkun dekriminalizzat u l-emfasi tal-politika dwar id-droga għandha tkun fuq mudell soċjali u mediku, u mhux kriminali. Il-kriminalizazzjoni ta’ min juża d-droga falla totalment, kif anke jisħqu in-Nazzjonijiet Uniti. Anzi min huwa vittma ta’ drogi qawwija spiċċa wkoll vittma doppjament, għax minflok għajnuna medika u soċjali spiċċa fis-sistema tal-ġustizzja kriminali.”
“Irridu sistema simili għall-mudell użat fil-Portugall. Min għandu problema ta’ dipendenza fuq xi drogi għandu jsib s-sapport u l-għajnuna, u mhux il-Pulizija jiġru warajh, u l-qrati jippersegwitawh. Ir-riżorsi li qed jinħlew fil-gwerra kontra min huwa vittma tad-droga għandhom minflok jintużaw biex jissaħħu s-servizzi ta’ youth and community workers, ta’ ħaddiema li jaħdmu ma’ u fil-komunitajiet tagħna biex jissaħħu l-inizjattivi kulturali, edukattivi u ta’ bini ta’ sens ta’ komunità. Il-politika Portugiża dwar id-droga ħadmet għax filfatt naqset l-użu mid-droga u l-ħsara lis-saħħa minn drogi qawwija.”
“Il-politika tagħna dwar il-kannabis hija li l-kannabis għandha taqa’ f’kategorija ta’ sustanza regolata legalment. Għalina huwa ċar u mingħajr tlaqlieq: l-użu tal-kannabis u t-tkabbir għall-użu personali għandu jkun dekriminalizzat. Il-bejgħ ta’ ċertu tip ta’ kannabis, għandu jkun regolat bħal ma huma regolati u ntaxxati l-bejgħ tat-tabakk u l-alkoħol.”
Carmel Cacopardo għalaq billi sostna illi huwa inaċċettabbli li l-istat jipprova juri li qed jagħmel xi ħaġa fuq id-drogi billi jkaxkar lil eluf ta’ persuni fis-sena l-qorti. Minflok l-istat għandu juża r-riżorsi tiegħu biex joffri aktar sevizzi ta’ youth and community workers fil-komunitajiet tagħna, biex jsaħħaħ servizzi mediċi u soċjali lill-vittmi tad-drogi qawwija u biex ikisser ċrieki ta’ kriminalità organizzata li tħallew jistagħnew mill-attività kriminali tagħhom.
