PN says personal drug use ‘is not a crime’

Nationalist Party supporting harm-reduction approach to drug use, in first hints of bipartisan support on drug decriminalisation

Beppe Fenech Adami: harsh criminal laws for traffickers must stay intact
Beppe Fenech Adami: harsh criminal laws for traffickers must stay intact

The Nationalist Party is expected to support a legislative effort not to criminalise drug users or those caught in possession of drugs for their personal use.

PN deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami told The Times that while criminal sanctions against drug traffickers should not be changed, “we should look at the situation differently for drug users and those caught in possession of drugs intended for their personal use.”

“The time has come for Maltese society to discuss how these people are treated, who today are hailed into court to face criminal procedures,” Fenech Adami said.

“Society has to give them the opportunity to kick their problem, unless they persist in their error, in which case the situation should stay the same as it is today.”

The Labour government is shortly expected to issue a White Paper on the decriminalisation of drugs.

Alternattiva Demokratika have also presented justice minister Owen Bonnici with their party position on the reform in drug policy, proposing a ‘Portuguese model’. “Since the introduction of decriminalisation for personal use, hard drug use, crime and transmitted diseases are said to have significantly decreased in Portugal,” the Greens have said.