Drugs in Maltese market among least pure in Europe

The purity of illicit drugs available on the Maltese black market is significantly lower than that of drugs in other European countries, according to the 2017 country drug report for Malta, published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. 

It also noted that drugs in Malta – specifically cannabis, heroin and cocaine – are, on average, more expensive, especially given their purity. 

The report states that a gram of cocaine, for example, can be bought in Malta for anything between €18 and €80, with purity ranging between 10-22%. In contrast, the registered maximum purities in France, the United Kingdom and Italy were 88%, 96% and 87% respectively. 

Similarly, the maximum purity of heroin purchased in Malta was 30% in 2015, significantly lower than in France (77%), the UK (96%) and Italy (59%). 

The same trend was observed when considering the potency and price of both herbal cannabis and the resin from the plant. 

According to the report, drug seizures in 2015 were at their highest since 2006 and twice as high as 2010. Cannabis resin was the most frequently seized drug, with 70kg being confiscated in 2015. Cocaine was the second most frequently seized drug at 21kg in 2015, followed by heroin and herbal cannabis, both at 4kg. Less than 3kg of MDMA, Methamphetamine and amphetamine were seized in 2015. 

Prevalence of drug use and addiction 

Malta registered one of the highest rates in the use of high-risk opioid – a class of drug that includes heroin, morphine and fentanyl – in Europe with one in every 1,000 falling within this category.

Maltese adults aged between 18 and 65 were found to be three times as likely to use cannabis (4.3%) than other drugs (1.4%), with males being significantly more likely to be drug users than females. 

This is also reflected in the number of people seeking treatment for addiction, where it was noted that on average men were four times more likely to be enrolled in a drug-addiction programme.

The number of first-time entrants to cocaine treatment centres stood at 91 in 2015, up from just over 40 in 2006. A total of 281 were seeking help in 2015. 

On the other hand, the total number of individuals being treated for heroin addiction stood at 1,296, with the number of first-time entrants in 2015 being 66, down from roughly 225 in 2006. 

There were 67 first-time entrants to cannabis treatment programmes in 2015, bringing the total up to 158 individuals. The number of first-time entrants is at the same level as it was in 2006, after which the number decreased steadily year after year until 2011, before increasing to its highest point in 2012. 

Overdose and law enforcement

There were eight drug-related fatalities in 2015, the highest since 2008. This reflects a Europe-wide trend, which has seen the number of fatalities increase for the third year running. There was a 6% increase in fatalities across the continent between 2014 and 2015. 

While the number of local fatalities witnessed a slight increase, the overall number of non-fatal overdoses, most of which are attributed to the use of prescription medication, continued a downward trend. 

Finally, there were 472 registered drug-related offences in 2015. 76% were related to use and possession of illicit drugs, with the remaining 24% consisting of “supply” related offences.