Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/343370
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 9 JULY 2014 7 News TIM ATTARD MONTALTO DRUGUSERS who do not feel they have an addiction problem should not go to prison, according to Charles Miceli, currently running a Church-owned Caritas home for persons serving a prison sentence with a drug problem. "Why is it considered a problem if someone smokes cannabis if this person is not addicted to the sub- stance?" Miceli told Malta Today. "If someone smokes but is not an addict, why should help be imposed on them?" The eagerly-anticipated White Paper on the decriminalisation of drugs was issued earlier this week by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici. It proposes that first-time offend- ers are given help by the state to re- form themselves, as opposed to the present system under which offend- ers are charged in court and could face a prison term. The White Paper envisages that instead of being charged in court, first time drug users would appear before a justice commissioner, who in turn can either issue a warning or fine or if deemed necessary, refer the case to a social board made up of experts and police officers. Miceli said that the persons who really are addicted to drug substanc- es should be offered professional help but only if they agree to it. "I certainly agree that no one should be sent to prison for taking drugs," he said. "But if this person has a substance for his or her personal use, they should not even be fined. People who are found to have com- mitted self-harm are usually offered help but it is not imposed on them. The same concept should apply to possession of drugs for self-use." However, while citing alcohol as a substance which does "as much harm, if not more", than certain soft drugs, Miceli was not in favour of legalising drugs like cannabis. "Le- galising it will mean it could be sold. Drug users could then become busi- nessmen, and that is something I am certainly not in favour of," he said. "However, if we really want to make true progress, we should be asking what is leading these persons to take drugs." As explained by Owen Bonnici on this week's edition of the television programme Reporter, the White Pa- per ensures that drug users will not be treated as criminals anymore but rather as victims of a bad habit. He said that the reform was driven by "common sense" and claimed that it would give the country "a clear di- rection, and strengthen help offered to drug users while clamping down on the traffickers." The law, however, makes a distinc- tion between cannabis users and non-cannabis users. Those caught in possession of cannabis – perceived by many as being a "soft" drug – would instead be exempted from appearing before the social board, irrespective of how many times they are caught in possession of drugs for personal use. Nevertheless, the justice commissioner will be given complete discretion to make excep- tions and refer repeat offenders to the social board. Opposition deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami – also speaking on Reporter – said that the focus should be on "common good" rather than "common sense". He said that making a distinction between 'soft drugs' and 'hard drugs' could en- courage the consumption of drugs like cannabis. "Classifying between hard and soft drugs would be unwise as it would invariably justify or encourage the consumption of the other so called inferior drug," Fenech Adami said. "Nevertheless, drugs will remain an intrinsic wrong, and the government as well as society in general has the duty to help drug victims." Meanwhile, Fr Manuel Cordina, Director of OASI Foundation - a drug support group based in Gozo – seconded the argument that a distinction in the sanction between soft and hard drugs could lead to a higher rate of soft drug usage. He recommended that all drug users found in possession of drugs – even recreational drug users – should be helped and sent to counselling. And in a statement issued yester- day, Caritas said that while a reform was necessary, it did not agree with the White Paper in its current for- mat. It disagreed, for instance, that there should be a distinction be- tween soft and hard drugs. "Drugs should all be considered intrinsi- cally wrong," the statement read, adding that traffickers should still be punished accordingly. Caritas said that first-time offend- ers, caught in possession of drugs for their own personal use, should be penalised with an assessment later carried out by a Rehabilita- tion agency – made up of a team of professionals and experts - to deter- mine the appropriate treatment for these persons. Contacted by MaltaToday, one of the spokespersons for the soon- to-be-launched NGO, 'A Voice for Drug Addicts', Kevin Busuttil, said that while the White Paper was a positive one, there remained certain aspects of it which required further clarification. "We certainly welcome the meas- ure being taken and it is definitely a positive step forward that these things are now being discussed openly and publicly," Busuttil, a re- covered drug addict himself, said. "However, there are some technical details which need to be clarified." "It remains to be seen, for in- stance, what really constitutes a first-time offender," he said. "When I was caught for the first time using drugs, it was not actually my first time using the substance. The ques- tion, therefore, is what can be done to help those persons who are do- ing drugs but who have not yet been caught?" Busuttil expressed his belief that, while the government "got off to a good start" in issuing the White Paper, there was no real permanent solution to combat the problem of drug usage. "This is a progressive problem and any solutions proposed need to progress accordingly," he said. TIM ATTARD MONTALTO SPEAKER of the House of Repre- sentatives Anglu Farrugia yesterday evening presented a petition for dis- cussion in Parliament, requesting a wider range of media be offered through which dyslexic students can sit for their academic examina- tions. The petition was drafted by the Dyslexic Teens Dialogue Group – a group of young students suffer- ing from dyslexia, as well as teachers and parents of dyslexic persons. Describing it as a "great initia- tive", Farrugia said that it was the first time in his lifetime that such a petition was presented by young- sters. "You have managed to spread your message to Parliament's corri- dors and should be commended for that," he said. "You should look at your condition with optimism and it should never be seen as a barrier to furthering your career." The petition, with the apt heading 'We want to start a conversation', was presented to Farrugia in the Committees Room in parliament and, among other suggestions, pro- poses that students suffering from conditions which could somewhat hamper their academic perform- ance, like dyslexia, are given alter- native means of assessment. "I will be presenting this peti- tion for discussion in Parliament," the Speaker said, adding that this should not be the group's first and last meeting in parliament. Sixteen-year-old student Kurt Mizzi, who attended St Augustine's College until sitting for his Ordi- nary examinations in May of this year, said that the biggest challenge which students with dyslexia faced was in the education sector. "Nowa- days, without education, you cannot really move up in the world," he said. "In this way, we are putting some pressure on the institutions so that our needs are recognised. "In Malta, there are students who can be successful in their careers but they are not being given the help they need," Mizzi said, using the metaphor of a house which cannot be built on a stable foundation. Another student spoke about the social stigma which often affected dyslexic persons. "You are not only penalised when struggling to read or write but you are then teased be- cause of it," he said. "In my case, I could understand the questions but I could not write out the answers. It is like having your hands tied be- hind your back." Another student said that while other students suffering from other conditions were usually offered help in the form of an LSA, dyslexic stu- dents were often not provided with such assistance. "We could be los- ing a lot of talent due to the fact that assistance is not given," his teacher said. Meanwhile, several parents – who were also present for the meeting - expressed their gratitude to Farrugia for understanding their concerns. Mixed reactions to drug decriminalisation proposal Instead of being charged in court, first time drug users will appear before a justice commissioner Dyslexic students request more academic assistance Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia (centre) with the Dyslexic Teens Dialogue Group in Parliament yesterday