Youth drug awareness campaign to be funded by golden passports scheme

The government is set to begin work on an information campaign directed at teenagers to increase awareness of drug and substance abuse. 

The campaign will tackle basic concepts on what certain substances are, and how they control the way people interact in society.

"We need to break the cycle," Family Minister Michael Falzon said. "We need to see what realities are pushing these people into substance abuse."

The campaign will be directed towards three different audiences: adolescents, parents, and educators. The aim is to increase awareness of substance abuse among teenagers while helping parents overcome challenges when communicating with their children on the issue.

Educators are brought into the strategy so as to help them recognise warning signs of substance abuse.

"We need to realise that, in most instances, something is pressuring that person to hide from reality. Something will be hurting them or pressuring them, and so they turn to drugs as a solution," Falzon said. 

The campaign will be financed by Malta's citizenship-by-investment programme through a €90,000 contribution.

"The wealth we bring to our country needs to be used for such causes," Citizenship Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat said.

Community Malta Agency, responsible for processing and accepting applications for citizenship-by-investment, will be one of the key stakeholders leading the project.

"This agency is responsible for foreign investment connected to citizenship, and a big part of this role is to see that this wealth is funnelled to the community," Muscat remarked.