Archbishop warns against drugs decriminalisation

Archbishop Paul Cremona said this evening that decriminalising the use of Cannabis could lead users to forget the negative effects of drug-taking. He was addressing guests at the graduation of former addicts who have completed rehabilitation programmes at the Caritas Centre in San Blas. The Archbishop referred to a number of studies in the United States which showed that the prevalence of drug use had increased as a result of decriminalisation. "We must keep in mind that drugs are not considered bad because they are illegal, but they are illegal because they are bad," he said. Earlier, Mgr Carm Farrugia, assistant director of Caritas, said the majority of heroin users treated by Caritas over the past year had started taking the drug when they were 14 years old. He said that in the case of cocaine, most users started the drug at age 16. Mgr Farrugia said that Caritas last year helped 613 drug addicts, a 26 per cent increase compared to 10 years ago. Caritas started its programmes 30 years ago. 85 per cent of those treated by Caritas over the past year were men. Nearly half were unemployed at the time of starting their rehabilitation. Five per cent could not work because of their...