Drug use among over 40s is increasing, drug expert warns

The strength of drugs on the market and the risk of people becoming completely dependent on them is increasing, Matthew Berry, an Australian psychologist focused on drug abuse and addiction, said

He also warned that drug use among those over 40 is also on the rise in the Western world, and services dealing with the issue had to address this change in trend.

Berry was speaking at a national conference on drug use – ‘A Drug-Free Life – Together with One Aim’ – held in Parliament today, which saw a number of persons involved in the field discuss different facets of the drug problem.

Malta, like Australia, seemed to be going from depressants to stimulants when it comes to drug use, but substance abuse was a “very localised experience”, he said.

“There are, however, two clear trends,” he underscored, “Firstly, whatever the drugs are, their intensity has increased over the decades. Drugs are now more powerful than before – pretty much every drug is now more intense than what it was 20 or 30 years ago. And there are now much more people at risk of using drugs, while before it was certain specific groups.”

“There is now a polarisation of drug use. The slope from using a drug occasionally, to becoming totally dependent on it, is now much steeper than it was a few decades ago,” he said.

The second trend, he said, was the increase in the sheer variety of drugs available. “Poly-drug use has become the norm. We see a pool of compulsive behaviours – such as drug use, gambling and pornography addiction.”

There is the illusion that drug addiction is a male problem, but it is evident that women are far more likely than men to be at risk of addiction to prescribed medication, Berry said.

 “We need to progress from a traditional patriarchal view of the problem and start to focus on all members of  our community,” he said, “We must see if our drug abuse services appeal to the majority of the population.”

4% of Malta's population had at some time in their life used drugs

Drug traffickers ‘agents of death’

Speaker Anglu Farrugia said 4% of Malta’s population had at some time or other in their lives used drugs, with 2,000 having sought treatment in local detox centres.

Farrugia highlighted that, in 2015, Malta had registered the highest rate of drug deaths per capita in Europe – 27 deaths per million.

“We can’t let such a situation persist,” Farrugia said, as he underlined that the authorities had to take stronger action against drug traffickers and that a very clear message had to be put across for drug users to stop abusing of such illicit drugs. 

“Drug traffickers have to be regarded as agents of death. They deserve no mercy for the suffering they are causing people,” he said, adding that addressing issues related to drug use had to be given national priority.

Echoing Farrugia’s sentiments, Social Solidarity Minister Michael Falzon spoke of the need to fight the drug problem, which can only be solved through society working as a team with a singular aim.

Calling the conference “historic” – the first time the drug issue was discussed at length in Parliament – Falzon said an emphasis had to be placed on helping young people deal with drug problems.

Clifford Galea shared his experience with seminar participants (Photo: Patrick Falzon)

Remaining drug-free requires constant work

Clifford Galea – a former drug addict who now regularly gives talks on the dangers of drug abuse – described how, despite having had various academic achievements and a successful career, social pressure in his life had led him to drug use.

 “An addict’s life is not easy – we need to give people more information on what such a life involves. Being clean for a period does not mean this will continue to be the case,” he said, “It’s like when you have diabetes – you have to constantly work on remaining clean.”

“It is unfortunate that drugs make a lot of money for those who sell them, but can render a user penniless,” he said.

“Some people are born into families which use drugs, so they don’t really know any better. We need to show addicts that we are there to help them – they are often scared of ending up in prison, or getting in trouble with their dealer.”

Gala said that many drug addicts do not understand that the authorities are out to help them.

“An addict lives 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for drugs. It is a reality that they cannot stop taking drugs, despite all the problems caused to them by their addiction – they do not have control, so we shouldn’t point fingers at them,” he underscored, “We need to explain to them that there are people who want to assist them.”

Drug policy based on evidence

Professor Richard Muscat, former chair of the national commission on drug abuse, said he believed evidence-based policy was essential, and this relied on having information available on drug-related trends in Malta.

Of all 15- 16-year-olds in sixth form, 450 are using cannabis

Of all sixth formers in Malta, 450 of them are using cannabis, and of those, one in ten – around 45 to 50 children – will become addicted, he highlighted.

 “In the past year, we’ve sat down with the minister and with the relevant agencies, and created a service to help these individuals. So the evidence resulted in a solution to the problem,” he said.

Muscat said the reasoning behind the 2015 drug dependence law, which aims to treat drug users instead of imprisoning them, was also based on the evidence showing that treatment was better than sending a drug addict to prison.

Mail order synthetic cannabis

Drug expert Godwin Sammut spoke of an “explosion” in the number of new synthetic drugs, the effect of which are not clear yet, since 2015.

Cannabis can lead to psychosis and alcohol to dementia

“In Malta we are seeing synthetic cannabinoids, which are used as cannabis substitutes and are not yet regulated," he said, "They are cheaper than cannabis and can easily be ordered via the internet, although a lot of them are discovered by customs before they arrive to the user.”

“Some people don’t even know they are smoking synthetic cannabinoids when these are mixed with tobacco in a joint,” Sammut said.

Psychiatric issues and addiction two sides of the same coin

Psychiatric conditions can lead to drug addictions, psychiatrist Anton Grech said, such as social anxiety leading to alcohol abuse. However, drug abuse can also lead to psychiatric conditions, such as cannabis leading to psychosis, or alcoholism leading to dementia later in life.

Addiction and psychiatric issues were the same problem seen from different angles, he emphasised.

Mirroring Grech’s views, mental health commissioner John Cachia said that addiction was a chronic illness related to mental health.

“33% of patients admitted to hospital with mental health issues have a drug addiction,” Cachia said, “Even more worryingly, 80% of those aged 18-44 in mental health hospitals in Malta and Gozo have a drug problem.”

There was now agreement that the drug problem required a national response, however, Cachia recommended that a joint national approach is drawn up in Malta, aimed at better dealing with the problem. 

“All those involved in the field should meet up and come up with a holistic approach in order to tackle this issue,” he said.