An Appeals Court in Malta has confirmed a 10-year prison sentence for Briton Daniel Holmes, after the accused tried to get his punishment reduced in an appeal that raised the public’s awareness on the harshness of Malta’s drug laws.
Daniel Alexander Holmes was appealing a jail term of 10 year, six months and a €23,000 fine, after facing five charges of drug possession and trafficking, four of which carried a life sentence, related to the discovery of a cannabis plant in his Gozo home. Holmes admitted to all charges ahead of a trial by jury.
This punishment is in its harshness incomprehensible. The drug laws in Malta need to be revised. Why should a person sent in prison when the person is addicted to soft drugs and when is is not trading them? Statistics clearly show that drug related punishments do not solve the drug problems, rather criminalises its consumption. Addicted in needs can not seek openly help from institutions and they will not be able to find cure. It is also a well known fact that drug are available for consumptions in local prisons, meaning that the purpose of locking drug addicts in a drug free environment has failed.
