After Valentine’s Day Arrest, Roberta Metsola Urges Police To Stop Going After Cannabis Smokers
Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola has hit out at the government after the police arrested a young couple who were found smoking cannabis in their hotel room on Valentine’s Day weekend.
“Are we really still charging teenagers for smoking a joint in a hotel room?” Metsola tweeted. “If only we went after the corrupt with the same fervour, our country might just move forward.”
“What if this young couple are forced to wait close to a decade for their case to be decided (as has happened too many times)? They will have this hanging over them for the best part of their formative years. Time to fix the system.”
Are we really still charging teenagers for smoking a joint in a hotel room? If only we went after the corrupt with the same fervour, our country might just move forward. #EndImpunity #Malta https://t.co/tgBJ0Sc08v
— Roberta Metsola MEP (@RobertaMetsola) February 14, 2021
Several people voiced their approval with Metsola’s comment, including renowned tenor Joseph Calleja.
Meanwhile, the police diverted a question by a man who warned on their Facebook page that their arrest of this young couple constituted a waste of public funds.
Responding to his criticism, the police referred to a completely separate case involving the arrest of a 48-year-old woman from Santa Luċija found with 50 sachets of cocaine and asked whether this was a waste of taxpayer money.
However, it refused to address criticism of the second egregious arrest.
In a statement yesterday, the police confirmed they arrested a 21-year-old man from Ħamrun and a 19-year-old woman from Żabbar after they were found in possession of cannabis at a St Julian’s hotel.
Although the police didn’t say how much cannabis was found, photos released by the force show a grinder, a small bag of cannabis, and a half-smoked joint. They didn’t confirm whether or not the couple will be prosecuted.
However, this latest arrest has once again sparked criticism about Malta’s drug laws. Although simple possession of cannabis was partially decriminalised in 2015, police can still arrest users to find out who had sold them the plant.
The government has promised to discuss cannabis legalisation come to fruition.
What do you make of this arrest?
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