2004 national report to the EMCDDA : Malta – New developments, trends and in-depth information on selected issues

Abstract

This is the first National Report on the drug situation prepared by the National Focal Point for the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity and submitted to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). The report per se gives an overview of the current, that is at it stands at 2003, legal and institutional structures, epidemiological situation, demand and supply reduction activities related to the drug issue. With these factors in mind the following encapsulate the content of this report: · The principal pieces of legislation dealing with substance abuse in Malta are the Medical and Kindred Professions Ordinance (Cap. 31) concerning psychotropic drugs and the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 101) concerning narcotic drugs. · The National Commission on the Abuse of Drugs, Alcohol and other Dependencies, launched in 1999, has as its primary responsibility that of providing policy advise to Government on drug related issues. The National Commission per se sits in the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, formerly the Ministry for Social Policy and is the lead Ministry in the area of drug policy. · Discussions on drug policy that involve the said Ministry as well as the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and that of the Ministry for Investment take place under the umbrella of the Parliamentary Committee for Social Affairs. · The National Focal Point for Drugs and Drug Addiction is operated by the National Commission and is primarily responsible for the collection and collation of drug-related information through its Data Information Network and Data Interpretation Network. · Total Government funding involved in the drug field is approximately 1.5 million Maltese lira per annum or some 3.5 million Euros. In the main, that is 66%, is allotted to Demand Reduction activities while the other third for Supply Reduction activities. · When referring to types of prevention, Malta still uses the terms ‘primary’ ‘secondary’ and ‘tertiary’. Primary prevention in Malta refers to measures targeting schools, the community, the workplace and the media and would thus fall under the EMCDDA category of ‘Universal Prevention. Secondary and tertiary prevention on the other hand, would include measures targeting high-risk groups (mainly in schools) and treatment in care centres respectively. · Cannabis use amongst the general population aged 18-65 is around 5% whereas in the 15-16year old cohort it is double the amount, some 10%. · Heroin use is of the order of 10 per 1,000 of the population, which for comparative purposes is similar to or higher than the leading 3 or 4 countries within the EU reporting such figures. The most pertinent aspect in relation to the prevalence estimates for the use of cannabis with other drugs such as heroin is that this amounts to just over twice as much whereas in most other European countries it is of the order of 5. This would seem to suggest that drug use is restricted to a particular cohort. · Drug Treatment in Malta is divided into 4 main categories, namely, methadone substitution treatment, detoxification treatment, outpatient community service/day care and inpatient drug free rehabilitation programmes. · Between 1991 and 2003 there were a total of 63 acute/direct drug related deaths. In 2003, the number of drug related deaths was 5. Between 1991 and 2003, the rate of drug related deaths per 1,000 of the population aged between 15-64 was 0.02. The cause of death in 95% of the cases was opiates. Due to a combination of factors generally associated with determining the actual cause of death when drugs are involved, such figures may be an underestimate. · In 2003, almost all arrested persons were charged for possession of drugs: 74% only for possession and 22% for possession and trafficking, mostly related to cannabis or heroin. The number of arrests for drug-law offences since 1998 shows peaks in 1999 and 2002 and a slight drop in 2001 and 2003. · Cannabis remains the most popular drug of abuse in Malta. The herbal form (grass) can be grown locally. Cannabis resin (hashish) on the other hand is imported from North Africa. Heroin is imported from Eastern Mediterranean countries and from North Africa, while cocaine and ecstasy are imported from other European Countries. · Cannabis, followed by heroin remains the most common drug seized. Ecstasy seizures, however, have shown a marked increase since 2001. · The prices for different narcotic substances are based on information obtained from the Police Drugs Squad. According to their information, street level prices for cannabis herb and resin have remained quite stable since 2001. Prices of heroin and cocaine have increased since 2001, whereas prices for ecstasy have dropped. The Police Annual Report Questionnaire 2003 reports no significant changes in drug purity across all drugs between 2003 and the previous year, however an increase in heroin purity and a decrease in ecstasy purity can be observed between 2001 and 2002/3.