Earlier on, my colleague Adrian Attard, published an article regarding the new proposal on decriminalisation of certain drugs. He showed his opinion, where he believes that maybe it would be a better idea if charges where minimised rather than eliminated for people caught with drugs for personal use. Although I agree on some points he pointed out, I would also like to show a different side.
First of all, before I start I would like to say that in the past year I believe that Malta has taken a lot of steps forward. I would have never imagined that divorce, civil unions and now decriminalisation of some drugs would ever be introduced in Malta. I have to admit, it is quite an honour, to finally live in a country where people can have the freedom to spread their wings away from conservative politics. Like divorce, unlike what some people thought, not everyone that was pro divorce was going to get divorced. They were voting for those who needed it. The same goes for the civil union, because lobbying for LGBT rights doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily gay.
With that said, with the decriminalisation of certain drugs, does not mean there will be a higher rise in drug use. Now I am not stupid, I know people are likely to seize the opportunity and try for the first time or consume drugs more than usual. Although, I believe after a couple of years, drug use will reduce considerably. I have met Dutch people, and I can personally say that I was surprised that they rarely smoke (marijuana that is), because to them it is quite normal. This is like cigarettes to us. Cigarettes are legal, but not everyone smokes.
On another note, for those who don’t know, in certain countries like the US, some drugs like marijuana is legally prescribed for certain conditions like ADHD. Malta is not special in that department, people with ADHD exist here, however they are not able to utilize this as treatment. Medical marijuana is also widely used effectively as cancer treatment and is also used to alleviate symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. It is also proven, that no one has ever died from Marijuana intake, unlike cigarettes and alcohol intake. So why would something natural, without any harm, be illegal.
Most countries have also legalised or decriminalised certain drugs, so as to eliminate the black market of such drugs. Thus drugs are bought at a reasonable price and ensure quality control. Unfortunately when buying drugs illegally, it is rarely the case that the drug bought is pure. In certain cases this will result in a bad trip or an unlucky overdose because of the additional substances and impurities.
So I wouldn’t say that decimalisation of drugs is a two step backwards, but a good way forward, and Malta definitely deserves more freedom and more discussion on an open minded level of such issues.