While acknowledging the efforts ARUC – the Authority for Responsible Use of Cannabis – is doing to regulate the cannabis association, the OASI Foundation of Gozo noted the press conference where it was announced that the Authority is sponsoring children’s sports activities.

”We appreciate that the entities in this event stated that they want to promote sport rather than drug use,” said OASI. ”It is however of concern to us that our children are being sponsored by cannabis related finances, as this is contradictory to the aim stated earlier on and raise ethical and moral difficulties.”

It added that, ”no professional worker operating in the substance use prevention field can affirm that this strategy is conducive to preventing substance use.”

OASI pointed out that ”while as a country, we have removed all promotion related to cigarette smoking and moving towards similar strategies when it comes to alcohol and gambling, one cannot say it is the case when it comes to cannabis.”

”One must acknowledge that this partnership is giving out the wrong subliminal message to our younger generation,” said OASI. ”As we have mentioned several times in the past, we strongly feel that the use of the word ‘responsible’ in conjunction with any substance or behaviour that had mind altering effects and addictive properties, is counter productive to promoting healthy practices in our population.”

OASI went on to say that it is worth while noting a study in Australia covering a cohort of 8841 shows that 50.4% who started using stimulants developed stimulant use disorders. Similarly, 37.5% of those who started using alcohol, developed alcohol use disorder, while 34.1% of those who started using cannabis developed cannabis use disorder (Marel et al., 2018).

”While conscious that all drug use is one of the main triggers to metal health complications” the OASI Foundation said it therefore ”urges policymakers and relevant authorities to carefully reconsider the implications of associating cannabis-related funding with minors’ activities and to ensure that prevention principles remain consistent across all addictive substances and behaviours.”

The OASI Foundation concluded by saying that ”our responsibility as a society is to safeguard the wellbeing of young people by promoting environments that clearly support healthy lifestyles, free from messages that may unintentionally normalise substance use.”

File photo: DOI

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