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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Malta Is To Legalize Cannabis For Personal Use, Social Clubs, But Not Sales Dario Sabaghi Forbes Wednesday 01 Dec 2021 The cannabis reform bill has now to pass in parliament for the third reading and final vote. It is expected to become law in two weeks. The legalization process started this year, when the Ministry for equality, research and innovation of the smallest country in the European Union introduced in October 2021 a bill to reform law on cannabis. Such an initiative follows the government’s election manifesto in 2017, which pledged to launch a debate on cannabis for recreational use. In March 2021, the Maltese government published a white paper outlining its vision on cannabis policy. The bill, presented for its first reading on the 4th October 2021, involved the work of legal experts, scientists, and people from other sectors. The reform bill lies on four pillars: cultivation, possession, consumption, and association. Adult cannabis consumers will be able to possess up to seven grams. However, possession of more than seven grams will be punished with administrative penalties. Cannabis consumption in public will be forbidden unless the person is authorized to use it for medical reasons. The bill also allows growing up to four cannabis plants at home. However, plants shouldn’t be visible from other places. When cultivating cannabis plants at home, consumers can keep up to 50 grams of dried cannabis in the household. Following the Spanish formula of the cannabis social clubs, the bill establishes the permission to create non-profit organizations to distribute cannabis products among members. Each member can’t belong to more than one association. The bill doesn’t create and regulate a cannabis market like in the United States. However, it aims to decriminalize the responsible use of cannabis, fight back illicit drug trafficking and expunge criminal records of people found guilty of possession of cannabis for their personal use, according to the local newspaper Times of Malta. Local news media outlet MaltaToday reported that opposition MPs and some organizations requested clarification about the proposed cannabis authority’s role in implementing cannabis decriminalization for personal use with an educational campaign during the last discussion. Furthermore, they raised concern over the age limit for cannabis consumption (they proposed to raise it from 18 to 25 years old). They offered to extend the distance from a cannabis club to a school from 250 meters to 1 kilometer limit the THC potency. However, Reforms Minister Owen Bonnici explained that further limitations on age limit and THC level would create a new black market that would jeopardize the efforts of the current bill. In the end, opposition MPs haven’t put forward substantial amendments. Before this cannabis reform, Malta introduced new policies to decriminalize cannabis partially in 2015. Three years later, it legalized medical cannabis with prescription. But with this move, Malta may become the first EU country to legalize growing cannabis for personal use overtaking Luxembourg, which is still refining its draft bill on recreational cannabis. The adoption of the cannabis social club’s formula has prevailed over the full commercialization of cannabis. However, it is unclear how the clubs will be structured. The cannabis reform in Malta is a symptom of hectic legislative activities in the old continent. Several EU countries are overhauling their drug policy, finding a way to decriminalize or even regulate cannabis consumption for personal use. As mentioned, Luxembourg is to legalize growing for personal use. The new German ruling coalition has put cannabis legalization on its political agenda. Italy is waiting to vote for a referendum to decriminalize personal use and legalize cultivation next year. Other pilot projects to regulate cannabis possession are to start in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Although there is no yet bill, only Germany seems seriously thinking of creating a cannabis market in this context. Other countries seem to find a mild solution to legalize cannabis consumption for personal use without fully regulating the cannabis market. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2021/12/01/malta-is-to-legalize-cannabis-for-personal-use-social-clubs-but-not-sales/?sh=17a6ad6d6c86
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