د . إAEDSRر . س

Trouble In Paradise? Blow To Cannabis Legalisation As Maltese Stakeholders Wary Of Creating A “New Big Tobacco”

Article Featured Image

The Maltese cannabis community has reacted strongly after hearing the results published in the Times of Malta of a recent President’s roundtable on non-medical cannabis, which, among other things, proposed a governmental policy of swabbing 10-year-old children’s mouths to test them for cannabis use.

Organised by the National Centre for Freedom from Addiction, which is part of the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, the discussion aimed to foster a healthy debate among Maltese stakeholders in light of the coming legalisation of cannabis in Malta.

However, the overwhelming sense by most of the stakeholders was that legalising cannabis would be creating a new “Big Tobacco” in Malta.

Many stakeholders pointed out that no other European country had legalised cannabis yet and doubted Malta’s ability to be the first to do so.

ReLeaf, a pro-cannabis lobby group who was present at the meetings, remained hopeful, though some parts of the discussion were disheartening to hear.

“The results of the roundtable discussion are very worrying because it means that the stakeholders are still skeptical about the idea of legalisation – they are not really understanding how dangerous and unhealthy the situation is at the present time,” said Graziella Calleja, representative from pro-cannabis pressure group ReLeaf.

They also questioned the ethical implications of the swabbing policy, which was proposed by the government on the grounds of filling the lack of statistics on cannabis use in under 16 year-olds.

“It doesn’t make sense to waste money and resources on such a project – what is the objective? To see how many Maltese 10-year-olds use cannabis? Wouldn’t it be better if they focus resources on a strong national educational campaign?” said Calleja.

37245619 436740116827137 2555799669070364672 N

A document handed out during the discussion

Stakeholders worried Malta might be “rushing” towards cannabis legalisation

“We require a proper analysis of what drugs these youngsters are taking to determine what treatment services we should introduce. At the moment, I’m informed we don’t have enough psychologists or support staff to treat adults, let alone 10-year-olds,” said Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms Julia Farrugia Portelli during the roundtable.

“Our focus is on harm reduction and we’re listening intently to all stakeholders. This reform merits a sincere debate that goes beyond partisan politics. We need an honest campaign on the side effects of drugs, balanced with creating a safe mechanism in which occasional users can take cannabis without the fear of going to a trafficker,” she said.

Other’s pointed out that legalisation would go against the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs – even though countries and states that have legalised cannabis, like Canada, Uruguay, Calfornia, Colorado, and Las Vegas have all found legal workarounds.

“Whether you legalise it or not, cannabis is already part of society. It’s the Wild West out there. You can either confront it and address it, or bury your head and ignore it,” said ReLeaf during the roundtable.

President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said that they were moving away from using the term “recreational cannabis” because there was nothing recreational about using cannabis.

“We’re moving towards a culture where nothing seems to shock. I also fear we’re not yet prepared to legalise cannabis. I’m not condemning those who use it, but we’re not ready to open the floodgates. We cannot transmit the message that cannabis is OK,” she also said.

In response, ReLeaf said: “No-one wants to transmit that message, which is why it’s essential to implement a policy where you don’t do that mistake. We’re not suggesting legalisation by itself u daqshekk tlaqna għat-tiġrija.”

Some Maltese cannabis users were disheartened by the level of discussion

But there were parents that agreed there must be a problem

While some parents themselves called out the proposed policy

And one person pointed out the obvious

While others just couldn’t believe what was happening to their country

What do you think of the results of this major discussion?

READ NEXT: Medical Cannabis Is Finally Available In Maltese Pharmacies

Endbanner

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

You may also love

View All