n late 2021, Malta became the first European country to legalize marijuana possession for adult use. Anyone over 18 could keep up to 7 grams on their person and up to 50 grams at home, plus grow up to four plants. The act also established a regulatory framework that included cultivation and distribution by licensed nonprofits known as Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations (CHRA).
Portugal and other countries had decriminalized personal possession, but it was still a civil violation. Malta's reform was praised as a pragmatic, public health‑oriented pivot that would siphon revenue away from drug-trafficking groups and spare people the burden of a criminal-legal record. Public consumption remained banned, but people could smoke cannabis at home. Four years later, the island nation's governing Labour Party has changed its tune.
In May, the Parliament of Malta unanimously approved Bill 128, which sets a €235 fine for public consumption of non-medical cannabis—including "in any place where the [odor] causes a nuisance to third parties."
Previously this had only applied to public consumption, but it now includes people smoking in the privacy of their home—if a neighbor complains about the smell. A free hotline has been set up to receive complaints. In July, warning letters began to arrive.
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