Cannabis reform consultation ends with 350 submissions

The cannabis reform White Paper attracted more than 350 submissions from organisations and individuals when the public consultation closed last Tuesday, MaltaToday has learnt.

Government is proposing full decriminalisation for adults in possession of 7g or less of cannabis for personal use and proceedings before the Commissioner for Justice, rather than the criminal court, for those with more than 7g but less than 28g.

The White Paper also proposes allowing the cultivation of up to four cannabis plants per household and the expungement of cannabis related criminal records.

Sources close to the consultation process said the feedback was “encouraging” and reflected the public sentiment.

“Many agreed with decriminalisation but were against legalisation but there were responses criticising the White Paper for not going far enough in providing a legal framework that would completely cut out the black market and also create safe spaces outside the home for cannabis users,” the sources said.

Several organisations have published their reaction since the White Paper was unveiled in March.

On Friday, government’s own anti-addiction agency, Sedqa, accused the government of “sitting on the fence between decriminalisation and legalisation”.

Sedqa, which opposes the legalisation of “any psychoactive substances”, said that if government allowed the cultivation of cannabis plants at home it might as well consider legalisation.

The agency warned that cultivation without having legal channels to obtain the seeds would lead to the “necessary cooperation with the black market”.

It agreed with decriminalisation and insisted that if government wanted to legalise cannabis it should be clear so that a clear strategy towards harm reduction and informed choice is adopted.

“Sedqa would consider legalisation a lesser evil compared to a rampant black market. It would also require the government to be clear in its laws and policies related to drug use, empower its national agency to continue developing its primary prevention efforts as well as treat the persons who develop substance use dependency,” the agency said.

Other organisations such as Caritas agreed with decriminalisation but opposed the wider limits for possession and the cultivation of cannabis at home.

Caritas warned that the proposals could contribute to normalising cannabis, which will encourage wider use.

Both Caritas and Sedqa, which operate rehabilitation facilities, warned of the ill effects cannabis had on people, especially some vulnerable groups.

The Labour Party in its submission proposed full legalisation to completely cut out contact between cannabis users and the black market.

The Nationalist Party made no formal submissions but in a statement, it had said that the matter was being discussed internally.

“The feedback is now being analysed and will inform the drafting of the actual law,” the sources said.

So far, there is no clear timeline by when government intends to put forward draft legislation.