Personal use of drugs should be treated as social problem - Vanni Bonello

A distinction should be made between drug users and traffickers, according to the head of the Commission for Law Reform. Former European Court of Human Rights judge, Giovanni Bonello, who heads the Commission, said: "We would like to see the personal use of drugs treated no longer as a judicial issue but as a social problem." He was speaking after a delegation from Alternattiva Demokratika presented the commission with its drug policy position. Dr Bonello said that an individual in possession drugs for personal use should be seen as a victim and a person who needed help, not a criminal. He added that the Commission was not saying that pushers or drug barons should benefit in any way. "If AD's proposals are adopted they will have an effect not only on the court's workload but also on society," he said. AD chairman Arnold Cassola said: "The state is not making a clear distinction between the victims of drug abuse and the kingpins who are exploiting thousands of people in our country. "We should highlight this distinction by helping out the victims and decriminalising drugs for personal use. "On the other hand, the state must be merciless with the drug barons. The mafia style...