DRUGS POLICY IS `STORING UP PROBLEMS'

ANTI-DRUGS campaigners have hit out at the current legislation,
arguing amendments must be made or the problem of drugs on the island
will get much worse.

Kyriacos Veresies, scientific director of KENTHEA, the Centre of
Education about Drugs, was speaking after a drug dealer was jailed
for three years yesterday for possession with intention to sell an
illegal drug.

The 22-year-old man, who lives in the Nicosia suburb of Ayios
Dhometios, was arrested by Drug Squad officers at his home on
September 15, 2003. Arresting officers found 630 grams of cannabis at
his home and charged him with six counts of illegal possession and
intention to sell.

Last Month, a 34-year-old Liberian man was jailed for 15 years for
importing, possession and intending to sell around 24 kilos of
cannabis. In the same case, a Portuguese man had pleaded guilty to
the charges and was earlier jailed for 11 years.

"It is a fact that the law in Cyprus is very strict when it comes to
drugs and that has been epitomised by the long sentences being given
to drug dealers especially in the past few years," said Veresies.

He added: "Although we are not against tougher sentences for drug
dealers there are problems with the legislation on drug arrests. For
example, if you are caught with 30 grams of cannabis you are deemed a
user, while if you are caught with 31 grams you will be charged with
dealing."

Under the current system, he says, drug dealers will able to find
loopholes in the system.

"A drug dealer could easily just sell in smaller quantities and
simply tell a court that he is a user. Also the dealer could be an
addict as well and even carry a document from a doctor stating that
he is an addict."

He outlined the dangers of how arrests were made, speculating that it
could promote corruption in the police force.

"There are three ways in which a person can end up in the courts,
through the court itself, the Attorney-general and the police. Who's
to say that one day a drug dealer might not simply pay a police
officer UKP 10,000 to say he found two plants of cannabis in his
house instead of three plants?"

Simply putting them in prison is not the answer, he added, noting:
"drug dealers could walk into prison with a bachelors or masters
degree and come out with PHD in dealing in drugs.

"Police said they had 50 drug dealers in prison in 2005, serving
around six to seven years. But a drug addict needs to be reformed and
rehabilitated and not just thrown into prison with more drug dealers.
The police need to look into this problem because the problem of
drugs will only get much worse."