53 organisations present petition to Parliament to amend cannabis bill

by Gozo News · December 9, 2021

53 organisations present petition to Parliament to amend cannabis bill 53 civil society organisations and individuals, including from Gozo, who are representing all sectors of society and a wide range of social partners have presented a petition to Parliament in final attempt to convince the Government to introduce a ‘stronger regulatory framework once it has decided to rush through a bill regulating cannabis use.”

The OASI Foundation explained that this petition has also been endorsed by Her Excellency Marie Louse Coleiro Preca, President Emeritus. A number of academics from the University of Malta and other individuals have also joined the organisations in signing the petition.

The organisations said that they have decided to make this ”final attempt” since they believe this issue is a critical one with far reaching implications for society.

They argued that the Government has ignored ”numerous reasonable and balanced amendments and has remained adamant to pass a very weak regulatory framework which risks leaving a massive negative impact on our society, especially among children, youths and the most vulnerable.”

The petition asks Parliament to amend the prosed bill by amending six aspects of the law. The aim is to create a stronger regulatory framework and mitigate the possible risks to society this law may bring about.

The organisations said that the six points being proposed are the following:

increase the age when consuming cannabis would be made legal through the Bill from 18 to 25;

increase the distance of cannabis clubs from schools, youth centres and post-secondary institutions from a mere 250 metres to 1 kilometre;

double the fines for smoking cannabis in front of children and in public;

remove the possibility allowed in the law for cannabis to be grown in residences adjacent to schools;

regulate the amount of THC allowed in cannabis;

remove the reference to educational campaigns mentioned in the Bill to retain clearly the present situation whereby Government campaigns on drug use focus exclusively on prevention measures explaining the risks of cannabis use.

They also said that this petition is asking Members of Parliament to listen to the voices of all organisations, constituted bodies, medical experts , educators, professionals from the psycho-social field, academics , organisations with years of experience in the drug prevention field, former drug users and many others who have all expressed their serious concerns about this proposed law.

At this late stage in the parliamentary debate, the organisations and individuals, representing thousands of stakeholders, are making a ”strong appeal to Members of Parliament side to reflect on the far reaching negative repercussion this law may bring on our society and to at least introduce these mitigating amendments.”

Anyone wishing to sign the petition can do so by clicking here.

The organisations and individuals presenting the petition are the following:

Caritas Malta

OASI Foundation

Malta Employers’ Association (MEA)

Malta Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Medical Association of Malta (MAM)

Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN)

Malta Chamber of Pharmacists

Gozo Business Chamber

Malta Association of Social Workers

Malta Association of Psychiatry