Malta this week will become the first European country to legalize the cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use. Push Luxembourg to the post, Because the continent’s drug laws are undergoing a wave of change.
For people 18 years and older, it is legal to have up to 7 grams of this drug, and it is allowed to grow up to 4 cannabis plants at home and store up to 50 grams of dried leaves.
The responsible minister, Owen Bonnici, told the Guardian that the Maltese Parliament will vote on the legislation on Tuesday, and the President will sign the law for enactment before the weekend.
This move by Malta, the smallest member of the European Union, may be followed by reforms Europe In 2022. Following the announcements by the governments of Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, Germany recently announced measures to establish a legally regulated market. Italy plans to hold a referendum, while 18 states in Canada, Mexico and the United States have enacted similar legislation.
In contrast, the British government of Boris Johnson was accused of adopting a strong attitude towards marijuana use and making criminal sanctions against users of Class A narcotics a core content of its recent release. Richard Nixon’s “War on Drugs” approach. 10-year strategy.
Bonnici said his government does not want to encourage the use of recreational drugs, but there is no evidence that using marijuana itself is a way to obtain harder substances.
He said: “There is now an understanding that it is disproportionate and unfair to take a strong attitude towards cannabis users, which has caused a lot of pain to people who lead a model life. But in fact, they use it on a personal basis. Marijuana puts them in a criminal situation.
He added: “I am very pleased that Malta will become the first country to incorporate text into regulations in a comprehensive manner together with regulatory agencies.”
After the United Nations decided in December last year to remove cannabis from the list of drugs designated as potentially addictive and dangerous with little or no therapeutic use, some European governments changed their approach.
Bonnici said the Maltese approach is designed to avoid criminalizing any cannabis use, while monitoring it to ensure harm is reduced.
Holding no more than 28 grams will result in a fine of 50 to 100 euros, but no criminal record. Those under the age of 18 are found to have property, and they will propose a care plan to the Judiciary Committee instead of facing arrest. People who smoke marijuana in front of their children face a fine of 300 to 500 euros.
In addition to allowing people to grow plants at home, although not visible to the public, it is legal for non-profit marijuana clubs to grow the drug and distribute it among its members, similar to organizations tolerated in Spain and the Netherlands.
The number of club members is limited to 500, and each person can only distribute a maximum of 7 grams per day and a maximum of 50 grams per month. These organizations must be at least 250 meters away from schools, clubs or youth centers, and can distribute up to 20 plant cannabis seeds to each member each month.
Bonnici said that his government has had a long debate on whether to control the intensity of cannabis that can be grown and used through the key psychoactive or mood-altering ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (TCH). To measure the level. ).
He said: “We have had a lot of discussions about this internally. We have come to the conclusion that if a limit [can be put] With the strength of cannabis and THC levels, you will create a new market for the black market. What we need to do is educate people and inform them day after day. “
The Netherlands may be a European country that has a relaxed attitude towards the use of marijuana. However, recreational use, possession and trading there are technically illegal.Instead, the government has a Tolerance policy, A kind of “tolerance policy”, according to this policy, it is basically acceptable to use within the scope. A trial is planned to supervise the production of the drug.
