ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons said that Bernard Grech and the PN’s resurrection of the ‘war on drugs’ rhetoric is a cheap populist ploy. The real issue with the theft of cannabis from an Armed Forces of Malta military base is the possibility of insider collusion within the military. The issue of drug policy has nothing to do with what happened.
ADPD Secretary General Dr Ralph Cassar said that “Back in 2010, and even before that, AD activists had called out the widely accepted practice of jailing drug users. Using drugs and getting caught was basically a guarantee of a prison sentence, such were the draconian laws PN and PL had fallen over themselves to enact. Nixon’s ‘war on drugs’ propaganda was still a thing in Malta. Six months minimum sentences tied the judiciary’s hands. Countless lives were ruined. Some people ruined their lives because of heroin, that ruin was compounded by long prison sentences. The victims became the victimised. Others, who out of their own will and for their own particular reasons used or shared cannabis had their lives ruined, not by the substance itself but by the criminal justice system.”
ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci said:”We continue to insist on a humane drug policy, a policy which avoids moral panic and focuses on the social and the health aspects of drug use. We support state and other non-state organisations working in the field. Victims of hard drugs need medical and social help, not being dragged to court and paraded in the media. Any social and medical problems should be treated as such: as medical and social problems! Years of criminalisation of users has just perpetuated a cycle of pain and suffering. We need to make sure that we have strong social and community services which work to reduce the need for some people to turn to substance abuse.”
“God forbid Bernard Grech and the Nationalist Party take us back in time. ‘War on drugs’ rhetoric may be popular with some. It’s a dangerous bandwagon which will end up creating more pain, more suffering, more death in the streets and a wasting of money in punitive systems which serve nobody’s interests.”
“The real issue is the state of the Armed Forces of Malta and their ability to perform simple security duties. It is crystal clear that Prime Minister Robert Abela should have accepted Minister Byron Camilleri’s resignation. The serious breach of security of an AFM base is very serious in and of itself. Political responsibility for this security breach must be shouldered by Byron Camilleri.”
