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I refer to the article entitled “Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll”, by Dr Anna Mallia (MaltaToday, 15 May, 2005).
Dr Anna Mallia’s projection of her views on the drug situation in Malta and Gozo warrant the following clarifications drawn up by the National Commission on the Abuse of Drugs, Alcohol and other Dependencies and the National Focal Point.
First of all, it is to be stressed that the report is a technical one based on methods devised by both the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the United Nations. What has become known as The Lisbon Consensus requires all countries to collect drug information according to strict guidelines and methodologies that result in an overall ‘drug situation in each of the countries’.
The Malta data was obtained from a wide range of sources and therefore what Dr Mallia “was told” that “the report was based on a number of drug users who sought help at the detox centre or who were convicted in court”, is in fact a misconception. With regards to the latter statement, the report contains merged and harmonized data obtained from all treatment centres – Caritas, Sedqa and Prison Inmate Programmes in Malta as well as Oasi in Gozo, which, incidentally, did receive clients in 2003 and not zero as Dr Mallia erroneously pointed out. The report also contains data from police records, probation services, Corradino Correctional Facility, as well as health departments.
These sources shed light on what, by EU definitions are ‘problem drug users’ – “Problem drug use is defined for EMCDDA purposes as injecting drug use or long duration or regular use of opiates, cocaine and/or amphetamines. This definition specifically includes regular or long-term use of prescribed opiates, such as methadone, but does not include their rare or irregular use, nor the use of ecstasy or cannabis”
On the other hand, with regards to ‘drug use in the general population’, which incorporates Dr Mallia’s “student population”, “Gozitans” and “rich drug users”, at no point does the report say that students do not take drugs, that there is no drug use among the general population in Malta or Gozo or that people who use drugs recreationally do not have problems.
It is important to point out that surveys such as the ones mentioned above, give a picture of the numbers of drug users among the general population, however, it is impossible to capture the full picture regarding the extent of problem drug use from such surveys. It is precisely for this reason that this issue is addressed by looking at specific groups, particularly those who come in touch with authorities or treatment services.
This does not mean that there aren’t people amongst the general population who do not exhibit problematic behaviours related to drugs other than heroin, only that as data goes, the profiles of all clients obtained from all the treatment centers available in Malta and Gozo in 2003, indicate that the percentages of primary drug cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis users who approach our treatment centers are very low (4%, 1% and 9% respectively, compared to 86% for heroin).
The question here would be: ‘Why are the majority of clients in treatment primarily heroin users and why or why not are persons with other drug problems not approaching our services?’
All told the report gives a global picture of the drug situation in Malta, based on the data at hand. The aim of the report is not to give interpretations of ‘hearsay’ information but on facts and evidence-based data that were available to date. It is stated a number of times, in different chapters of the report, that certain areas do call for further research in order to obtain a more coherent and evidence-based picture. If data is not available on certain groups then simply writing about them, without being able to provide the relevant statistics to back up assumptions, would present a picture of, once again, ‘playing it by ear’ and not on evidence-based practice.
I would like to conclude that the report was compiled by strictly following the guidelines provided by the European Monitoring Centre of Drugs and Drug Addiction; the data and the content of it were vetted and commended by the aforementioned Centre, as part of Malta’s participation in the EMCDDA Community Programme to comply with the Community’s Acquis.
Certainly, there are areas that call for further research and clearer data (as stated in the report) and one of the goals of the National Focal Point and the National Commission on the Abuse of Drugs Alcohol and other Dependencies, is to continue to enhance its data sources in order to continue to provide a clearer picture of the drug situation in both Malta and Gozo.
Emanuel Abela
Director of Information
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