Almost three years after Malta became the first European country to regularise the sale and possession of cannabis, regulatory chief Joey Reno Vella feels the reform is working.
"The country's harm reduction approach is working," says Vella. He chairs the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis set up when cannabis was regularised. He says that while "the safest way to consume cannabis is not to consume it at all", policymakers cannot ignore today's realities.
"Before 2021, before the reform was enacted, you had a reality where studies showed a large section of the population used cannabis, but they had no regulated market from where they could buy it. The cannabis they bought was not cultivated safely, and so posed more risks. They had to turn to the black market where they did not know what they were buying," he says. The situation is different today, he notes. "They now know where the product came from, what it contains, and know that it does not contain harmful substances like bacteria, heavy metals, and mold. The product will cause less harm and expose people to less risks."
Vella says Malta now has eight associations spread across the island, with around 2,000 members registered. Six also have an in-principal license and are expected to start operating soon.
He also says that no major breaches were registered during regulatory checks, and associations were quick to comply with any infringements, highlighting their commitment to the principles on which the law is based.
Questioned on whether Malta is looking to go further in commercializing cannabis, he says the authority is comfortable with the non-profit harm-reduction model and does not feel commercialization makes sense.
Read more at: maltatoday.com.mt