Pubdate: Sat, 23 Aug 2003
Source: Times Of Malta (Malta)
Copyright: 2003 Allied Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.timesofmalta.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2310
Author: Karl Pace
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1240/a04.html

DRUGS OFF THE COUNTER

I refer to Jean Agius' letter (August 12) to say that like Mr Agius and many
others who surely have the same opinion as we do, I am one of those who
think that legalising most drugs, is a sensible thing to do and will
probably make our country a safer place to live in. I can assure you that
finding drugs in Malta is as easy as finding a mobile phone top up card.

Therefore I agree with what Mr Agius had said - the fight against drugs in
Malta has failed. These are the reasons why I think that those in charge
should make some drugs (for example cannabis), available off the counter.

This will surely reduce the price of drugs and therefore lessen criminality,
which we know that it is on the increase. It is a known fact that cannabis,
for example, does less damage to both health and mind.

People also act worse while under the effect of alcohol, than while under
the effect of cannabis (or almost any other illegal drug). I mean, how many
times do we hear that a person died in a car crash because he or she was
stoned? And ask yourselves how many times do we hear that a person abused
another person (physically, sexually or verbally), for example, his partner,
because he was drunk. So I raise the question - why can alcohol be bought
legally off the counter and cannabis and other drugs cannot? (I am centring
my argument on cannabis because it is the softest drug and the most that
should be made legal. Although all drugs should be taken into consideration
by the authorities.)

Alcohol is also a drug, but society accepts that, even though wives and
children get beaten because of it. Therefore, all those open minded people
like me will just have to wait for society to change and grow up, and for
the right leaders to be in place, and then, maybe one day Malta will go
somewhere and start making the right decisions.

What I am trying to say is, in short: drugs will always be here and really
easy to get. Now we can either keep on doing it illegally while the public
is being robbed each day, or maybe one day we could do it legally and avoid
a lot of hassle which both the public and the authorities have to go through
every day, and I'm sure that everyone will see that a decision like this
would have been taken for good reasons, and we would all benefit from it.

Karl Pace,

Mosta.
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MAP posted-by: Josh