Updated 5pm with further detail

The number of deaths related to drug use shot up to 18 in 2023 from just five the previous year, according to a new report.

Of the 18 deaths, 13 were related to cocaine, while the remaining five were due to heroin use. An additional eight deaths from 2023 are still awaiting toxicology results.

The majority of these deaths occurred among people aged over 40.

The annual report by the ministry for social policy, entitled 'The Drug Situation and Responses in Malta', showed there were also 1,266 drug-related emergency admissions to hospital in the same year, an 11.6 per cent year-on-year increase and more than double the admissions in 2021.

Source: The Drug Situation and Responses in Malta

The report also showed an increase in the number of people seeking treatment for cocaine addiction. Around 2,300 people sought treatment, with the majority struggling with heroin addiction, followed by cocaine dependence. Those seeking help for cocaine-related treatment accounted for 41% of all cases, with 68% of cocaine users seeking assistance more than once. Of those seeking help, 90% were Maltese.

The statistics on cocaine use appear to corroborate the experience of medical and forensic professionals who recently spoke to Times of Malta on the subject of drug use. 

Consultant cardiologist Caroline Magri said she is seeing more cases of patients in their 30s, with a link between drugs and heart disease. 

“These cases may still be rare, but I am seeing more younger patients with heart disease than before. It is an eye-opener when you see a 36-year-old with heart problems,” she said. “We need to be aware that it is not just about smoking. Drug abuse can also lead to an increase in cardiovascular disease in younger generations.”

Source: The Drug Situation and Responses in Malta

A report by the Forensic Analysis Laboratory (FAL) also raised serious concerns about the number of deceased people that have cocaine in their system and about the “drastic” increase of purity.

The report also revealed that the purity of cocaine increased to 57%, while the purity of heroin continued to decline, dropping to 16%. However the national drug report's authors pointed out that although cocaine purity appears to have risen, this high purity level is often recorded in large drug seizures at the Freeport, meaning the substance has not yet been mixed with other impurities.

A study has been commissioned between the Toxicology and Mortality Laboratories at Mater Dei Hospital, in collaboration with the Drug Focal Point, to better understand the factors behind this increase in drug-related deaths.

Deaths up, arraignments down

While drug deaths and admissions to emergency increase, the number of people charged in court in connection with drugs has plumetted since 2017, when there were 570 cases, the statistics show.

That dropped to 140 by 2022 and just 80 in 2023.

Some of that drop in court cases may be accounted for by the 2021 change in law allowing adults to legally carry up to 7g of cannabis without the risk of arrest or confiscation

Of these arraignments in 2023, which the report splits into those related to possession and those related to trafficking, the vast majority of arraignments were for cocaine and cannabis trafficking - 32 and 22 arraignments respectively. 

The number of people arraigned in connection with drugs has dropped since 2017. Source: National Drugs Report

In terms of drugs seized, cocaine once again tops the charts with 493 kilograms, followed by 154 kg of cannabis grass and 10kg of khat, a flowering evergreen shrub also known as bushman's tea that is abused for its stimulant-like effect.

Cocaine seized in 2023 had an average purity of 57 per cent, heroin 16 per cent and cannabis grass seven per cent. 

In the same year, 2,311 people were in treatment, with just under a quarter  people being treated for the first time. Almost half of those treated were employed, while the vast majority, 82 per cent, were males. The median age of men in treatment was 40 while for women, it was 38.

Of the total number of people being treated for drug abuse, 44 per cent were treated for heroin abuse, 41 per cent for cocaine and 14 per cent for cannabis.

Of the 938 people treated for cocaine addiction, almost a fifth had completed higher education.

Of note is that cocaine seems to be the most-used primary drug by those with a higher-education degree - 18 per cent of users compared to 17 per cent who used cannabis and eight per cent who used heroin.  

Earlier this week Times of Malta reported how common cocaine has become as part of the nightlife scene, with one drug dealer describing Valletta as a "coke den".

Minister for Social Policy and Children's Rights, Michael Falzon, presented the report, said the problem of drug addiction "is not one that affects only a single locality or village, nor is it confined to people from a specific socio-economic background."

He said it was important to "continue to combat these addictions through a holistic policy, focusing on prevention, long-term support, direct assistance to victims, and also to their families."