Malta's first National Drugs Policy was launched which will be coordinated by a newly set up National Coordinating Unit for Drugs and Alcohol within the Ministry of Social Solidarity.
€69,000 (Lm30,000) have been allocated to Caritas for the organisation’s drug harm reduction shelter. Other entities running drug rehabilitation programmes will also benefit from financial aids, so that those who opt to follow residential care instead of a prison sentence could receive a weekly allowance.
Minister Dolores Cristina announced that the Housing Authority will be renting out two apartments for youths who finished residential programmes and need help integrating in society.
She also said the policy provides the necessary tools to battle the drug problem better in Malta. The policy streamlines the practices to be adopted by various entities involved in providing drug-related services and aims to improve the quality and increase the provision of services as well as provide a more coordinated mechanism to reduce the supply and demand of drugs.
