Marijuana legalization in Malta!

malta legalization of marijuana

Marijuana legalization in Malta

What will Maltese cannabis lovers be able to afford?

Malta just became the first European country to legalize marijuana! We can already write about a complete success, because the President of Malta, George Vella, signed a law legalizing the cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use. The act allows adults to grow up to 4 marijuana plants at home and carry up to 7g of dried hemp with them. At home, however, you will be able to store up to 50g of dried material!

Minister Owen Bonnici assured that the government does not want to encourage the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, but there is no evidence that such use causes addiction and that smoking cannabis is the first step to reaching for hard drugs. Bonnici also drew attention to the growing body of evidence proving the harm of illegal marijuana. The law applied so far was, according to him, unjust and was supposed to contribute to harm and push exemplary citizens to the criminal path.

According to Minister Bonnici, the legalization of marijuana is intended to limit the illegal market and protect small smokers from lawsuits or prison.

Malta - Penalties and fines under new lawfines in Malta - marijuana

As we wrote earlier, an adult person will be able to carry 7g of dried cannabis with them without any consequences. Possession of marijuana above 7g and below 28g can be punished with a fine of 50 to 100 euros. I will also be punished for smoking cannabis or otherwise consuming the plant in public. A person consuming dried hemp in public may receive a fine of EUR 235. In the case of smoking in the presence of minors, the fine can be up to 500 euros.

Another issue is minors who, if they are caught in possession of marijuana, will be accountable to a special commission. The authorities also provide for the recommendation of appropriate care and treatment for such people.

The surprising information is that the act includes a provision regarding the purging of files from previous entries regarding the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. This will only happen at the request of the injured/punished person.

 

Regulations in Malta regarding the trade and access to cannabis

Malta legalization

 Back in October, one of the arguments against the new law was the lack of regulation of access to cannabis or cannabis seeds. The solution to the problem was found very quickly. Distribution of hemp and marijuana seeds used in home cultivation by the Maltese will be dealt with by special associations. Each citizen will be able to belong to only one such club, due to easier control of "issued" products. One member of the association will be able to receive 7g of dried herbs at a time with a monthly limit of 50g. The limit of seeds issued to one member per month is to be 20 seeds. By definition, associations cannot be focused on generating profit from such an undertaking, and the main goal is to cultivate and internally distribute the plant and its parts. Therefore, there is a limit of members in such a club to 500 people. Any such Associations will not be allowed to be located closer than 250 m from schools or other educational institutions.

 

Dissenting voices

As with everything, opinions are divided. In the case of the legalization of marijuana in Malta, 36 MPs voted in favour, with 27 against. Among the opponents of the new solutions was the National Party headed by Bernard Grech. Grech warned that such a relaxation of marijuana laws could expand the illegal market. Members of the Maltese Conservative Party have called on the country's president to veto the new law. However, there was no veto, Malta became friendly to users of recreational marijuana and thus is the first such country in the European Union.

Legalization of marijuana - a stir in the world

Recently, the legalization of marijuana has been discussed in many European Union countries. So far, countries such as Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland have announced the introduction of easing the regulations in this matter.
It was the decision of the UN in December 2020 to remove cannabis from the list of dangerous drugs that influenced the recent decisions of many governments around the world. Previously, according to the UN, marijuana was considered potentially addictive and dangerous, with little or no therapeutic use. As we know today, marijuana has many proven therapeutic uses and there is no evidence that it is addictive.

Canada and Uruguay are the countries that legalized marijuana before the UN decision itself, Uruguay in 2013, Canada in 2018.

Leave a comment

Leave a comment