Malta may beat Luxembourg to become the first country in Europe to legalize the cultivation and consumption of recreational cannabis. The bill reached approval today, December 14, 2021. Under the new law, citizens are able to grow and possess limited amounts of marijuana.
Cannabis reform is expected to occur across Europe in 2022.
Photo by Mike Nahlii on Unsplash
Many European Countries are Working to Legalize Recreational Cannabis
The European Union’s smallest member is edging past Luxembourg, which approved legislation but hasn’t implemented a law for cultivating cannabis plants. Malta is also beating Germany to the punch. Germany has pledged to legalize controlled sales at licensed shops.
The Netherlands tolerates the possession, consumption, and sale of up to five grams of cannabis. Although it’s used in “coffee shops,” it’s not technically legal.
Spain also allows cannabis. Their citizens can grow cannabis for their personal consumption. However, it’s illegal to share, sell, or use cannabis publicly. Instead, Spain implements cannabis clubs.
Photo by Ashley Byrd on Unsplash
Malta’s Bill Works to Empower the Public and Protect the Youth
Under Malta’s bill, people 18 and older can possess up to seven grams of weed. They can also grow up to four cannabis plants for personal use. In addition, they are allowed to store up to 50 grams of dried leaves. Anyone caught possessing up to 28 grams will be fined around $55 to $115, but the offense will not go on their criminal record.
Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that drug trafficking will remain illegal under the new law.
“We are legislating to address a problem, with a harm reduction approach by regulating the sector so that people don’t have to resort to the black market,” he argued in parliament last month.
Non-profit organizations will be allowed to grow and sell cannabis plants to no more than 500 members. The non-profits must not be located near schools or youth clubs.
The country is cracking down on underage consumption and exposure. Those caught consuming cannabis in front of a minor will incur a fine ranging from $340 to $565. Minors will not be arrested for consuming cannabis. Instead, they will be sent to a judicial commission that will recommend a care plan.
“There is a wave of understanding now that the hard-fist approach against cannabis users was disproportionate, unjust, and it was rendering a lot of suffering to people who are leading exemplary lives. But the fact that they make use on a personal basis of cannabis is putting them in the jaws of criminality.”
Maltese politician Owen Bonnici
Europe is Going Down a Similar Path as the US
According to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), cannabis is the most used illicit drug in Europe. Just last December, the United Nations removed marijuana from a list of dangerous drugs, due to its many medicinal uses.
“The transatlantic winds of change that have been blowing in the Americas for a while have now reached the shores in Europe.”
Tom Blickman of the Amsterdam-based Transnational Institute
Blickman said that there’s a need to “take back control of an illicit and criminal market that in fact is out of control in terms of protecting public health.”
The evolution of Europe’s cannabis laws varies by region. In this way, it reflects the way legality has occurred across the United States of America. It all comes down to “what fits best for local circumstances or national circumstances,” said Blickman.
However, Blickman followed up with a warning. Laws on both the European and international level that classify cannabis as an illicit substance could clash with the more local, country-level efforts to legalize it. Much like the United States, it’s almost a matter of federal versus state.
“How can we best manage this process so that the wide diversity of Europe is respected,” he asked. It’s a question that Europe will be working to solve in the new year.
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