Tag: malta
-
Spain’s confusing cannabis policies spark similar problems faced by US states
Sunday, 12 November 2023“For some years, there was the possibility to regulate and keep it in the hands of those who aren’t crime-related,” said Óscar Parés, deputy director of the Barcelona-based ICEERS, speaking of past e ...
Labels -
Potential cannabis associations to receive harm reduction training by next November
Saturday, 23 September 2023The Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) will be organising the first training on harm reduction for those Associations which have reached an advanced stage of application to form a ' ...
Labels -
Cannabis policy expert slams Malta police's attitude to CBD
Saturday, 29 July 2023A leading drugs policy expert believes members of Malta’s planned cannabis associations should be allowed to consume cannabis on site rather than being restricted to only doing so at home. “It was an ...
Labels -
Cannabis associations eye first quarter of 2024 for opening their doors
Monday, 17 July 2023Cannabis associations in Malta could be up and running by the end of March 2024, sources familiar with the matter have told MaltaToday. In June, it was revealed that 26 groups had applied for cannabi ...
Labels -
Global resonance of Malta's drug policy reform highlighted at thematic round table
Friday, 14 July 2023The not-for-profit model adopted by Malta for drug policy reform is resonating across other countries. The emphasis on a harm reduction approach, including considerations for social justice and the n ...
Labels -
Cannabis policy needs to be monitored for health impact - EU drugs agency
Saturday, 01 July 2023European countries that are widening their cannabis policies should invest in monitoring and evaluation to understand the impact on public health and safety, according to the European Drug Report for ...
Labels -
Cannabis clubs assured of receiving support from local banks
Friday, 16 June 2023The cannabis authority in Malta has been assured that local banks will not turn down potential cannabis clubs on the grounds that they are selling marijuana, after the associations raised concerns th ...
Labels -
26 applications for cannabis clubs received so far - no licences granted yet
Thursday, 08 June 2023The cannabis authority has received 26 applications from potential cannabis clubs requesting a licence to sell home-grown marijuana, according to Leonid McKay who heads the Authority for the Responsi ...
Labels -
New report describes growing complexity and change in cannabis laws in Europe
Monday, 05 June 2023What forms of cannabis regulation are under consideration in Europe? What types of cannabis are controlled? Are cosmetic and wellness products containing cannabis legal? These are among the questions ...
Labelsnetherlands | switzerland | malta | germany | luxembourg | czech republic | regulation | legalization | cannabis | european drug policy -
Cannabis greenhouses and ‘chain-store’ clubs permitted under new rules
Sunday, 09 April 2023Malta’s laws for the sale of recreational cannabis could likely make room for large players seeking to corner the market, with the prospect of cannabis retailer ‘chains’. Malta’s not-for-profit model ...
Labels -
These are the rules cannabis associations will have to follow
Wednesday, 15 March 2023Cannabis associations that sell to non-members or minors will face fines of up to €10,000, with the associations also required to cough up money for harm reduction and community projects. A newly-pub ...
Labels -
Talks with bank to offer services to cannabis associations
Wednesday, 22 February 2023The authorities are having talks with a leading bank with a view that it could offer services to non-profit organisations running cannabis associations, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri told par ...
Labels -
Cannabis associations will need to have salaries approved by regulator
Saturday, 18 February 2023Salaries paid out by cannabis associations will have to be approved by the regulator to ensure they are in line with market rates, ARUC boss Leonid McKay has said. The Authority for the Responsible U ...
Labels -
Editorial: No grass without the roots
Monday, 06 February 2023The Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis recently held a conference where it outlined the rules for social clubs and the sale of home-grown cannabis in Malta. The conference signalled the au ...
Labels -
Cannabis 'Harm Reduction' clubs can apply to sell home-grown drug from February
Friday, 27 January 2023Cannabis clubs - dubbed Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations - can apply to sell home-grown marijuana from next month but must abide by a list of regulations outlined on Friday. The associations are ...
Labels -
Law aiming to clear simple drug convictions expected next year
Friday, 02 December 2022Malta won’t see a bill that introduces a path to clearing simple drug convictions from people’s criminal records until sometime next year. A spokesperson for the ministry of equality and reforms said ...
Labels -
Activists fear medical cannabis companies want in on recreational market
Monday, 21 November 2022Established medical cannabis companies could be looking to set their foot in Malta’s flegdling recreational cannabis market, according to sources. Releaf, the NGO that led the campaign to legalise re ...
Labels -
Cannabis authority chair sacked after 10 months
Friday, 11 November 2022Psychotherapist Mariella Dimech has been sacked from her position as executive chairperson of the new cannabis authority on the responsible use of cannabis. Dimech said she was informed by the Home A ...
Labels -
No timeframe yet for cannabis associations
Tuesday, 08 November 2022Reforms parliamentary secretary Rebecca Buttigieg has refused to give a detailed timeline on when cannabis associations will start operating. “This is a complex sector and I am interested in doing th ...
Labels -
Cannabis authority yet to start issuing licences, months after law introduced
Monday, 29 August 2022New rules on cannabis use came into force in Malta in December after parliament approved a new law aimed at further decriminalising the substance. The new law allows for the creation of cannabis asso ...
Labels -
Towards a ‘human rights-based’ drug policy
Wednesday, 27 July 2022In 2018, Malta became one of the first European countries to fully decriminalise cannabis for medicinal purposes; followed up by a broader reform to (within limits) decriminalise the drug for recreat ...
Labelshuman rights | conventions | UN drug control | regulation | amnesty | legalization | malta | cannabis -
Luxembourg leads the charge for a new European drug policy
Sunday, 17 July 2022On Friday 15 July, representatives from Germany, the Netherlands, and Malta met at Senningen Castle and agreed that they want to switch to a different drug policy. The failure of the repressive appro ...
Labelseuropean drug policy | regulation | legalization | cannabis | malta | germany | netherlands | luxembourg -
Cannabis associations should be ‘safe spaces’, NGOs propose
Monday, 28 March 2022Two NGOs have proposed that cannabis associations should be “safe spaces” where members have a “true interest and passion” in the substance, and where they could share best practices and seek advice ...
Labels -
In Malta, confusion over cannabis law after doctor arrested for drug dealing
Thursday, 24 March 2022Malta has been rocked by the arrest of a local doctor, Andrew Agius, for distributing cannabis mere months after the island became the first in Europe to legalise the drug. Agius, 43, was arrested on ...
Labels -
Cannabis law still reflects discriminatory practices: Andrew Bonello
Thursday, 17 March 2022The reform enacted by the Maltese government in 2021 Act No. LXVI to establish the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis and to amend various laws relating to certain cannabis activities, incl ...
Labels -
The green wave hits Europe: Recent cannabis regulation initiatives in Europe
Tuesday, 15 March 2022Labelsmalta | luxembourg | italy | germany | european drug policy | conventions | CND | spain | legalization | regulation | cannabis -
Europe should follow Malta's example on cannabis reform, says minister
Wednesday, 09 February 2022Malta’s new cannabis rules should serve as a model for other European states of how to end the unnecessary prosecution of low-level drug users and strike a blow against organised crime, according to ...
Labels -
'Malta will not become another Amsterdam': cannabis authority chair
Monday, 24 January 2022Psychotherapist Mariella Dimech has been appointed the first executive chair of the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis. She tells how she plans to stifle the black market and raise awarenes ...
Labels -
It's official: recreational cannabis reform is now law
Saturday, 18 December 2021A bill to allow recreational cannabis use has been signed by President George Vella and is now part of Maltese law. Legal Notice 478 notes that the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis Act ha ...
Labels -
Cannabis bill approved in parliament, in first for Europe
Tuesday, 14 December 2021Parliament approved a cannabis law that will allow users to carry, buy and grow amounts of the drug, making Malta the first European country to introduce laws to regulate recreational cannabis use. M ...
Labelsmalta | amnesty | home cultivation | cannabis clubs | thresholds | legalization | regulation | cannabis -
In first for Europe, Malta to legalize recreational marijuana, with several other countries on the cusp
Monday, 13 December 2021“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 told a webina ...
Labels -
Opposition delays cannabis reform until December 14
Tuesday, 07 December 2021A controversial new law on cannabis use will have to wait another week to be approved in parliament, after the opposition requested that MPs be called to vote individually on the matter. The proposed ...
Labels -
After Malta, Germany set to make pot mainstream
Thursday, 02 December 2021The European Union is currently a hotchpotch of different approaches to cannabis use, ranging from complete prohibition to different levels of decriminalisation and tolerance. Even in liberal enclave ...
Labelsmalta | luxembourg | italy | germany | european drug policy | cannabis clubs | spain | netherlands | legalization | regulation | cannabis | decriminalization -
Cannabis reform is one vote away from becoming law
Tuesday, 30 November 2021The cannabis reform bill in Malta is one step away from being passed in parliament after it cleared committee stage. In a four-hour-long sitting MPs discussed the individual clauses and approved mino ...
Labels -
From prohibition to trailblazing: A brief history of modern cannabis activism In Malta
Saturday, 27 November 2021It is ironic, but if Malta does end up legalising recreational cannabis, one quiet man from Wales may be the one to thank for it. Prior to 2011, there were passionate activists fighting for better ca ...
Labels -
Getting closer! Final stage before Malta’s cannabis reform becomes law to start next week
Tuesday, 23 November 2021It’s looking ever more likely that Malta will pass a landmark cannabis reform bill into law. The bill passed its second reading (the debate stage) in Parliament, with all government MPs voting in fav ...
Labels -
No smoking allowed: An early look inside Malta’s planned cannabis associations
Saturday, 23 October 2021Malta will soon allow people to purchase weed from “cannabis associations”, an exciting step forward for the country’s long-suffering cannabis communities. However, don’t expect these associations to ...
Labels -
Cannabis legalisation will allow regulated associations and home growing of plants
Wednesday, 06 October 2021Under proposed cannabis legalisation in Malta, non-profit associations can grow cannabis to distribute among their members, Equality Minister Owen Bonnici said. The minister also said that people wou ...
Labels -
Owen Bonnici presents first reading on cannabis reform
Monday, 04 October 2021The minister for reforms Owen Bonnici has tabled the first reading of Malta's government proposed cannabis reform. Taking to Twitter, Bonnici said the bill “will establish a new legal framework gover ...
Labels -
Cannabis reform consultation ends with 350 submissions
Tuesday, 18 May 2021The cannabis reform White Paper attracted more than 350 submissions from organisations and individuals. Government is proposing full decriminalisation for adults in possession of 7g or less of cannab ...
Labels -
Cannabis reform: possession up to 7g, cultivation of four plants at home
Tuesday, 30 March 2021Prime Minister Robert Abela of Malta launched a public consultation process on a White Paper to strengthen the legal framework on the repsonsible use of cannabis. The government is proposing that the ...
Labels -
The problem with cannabis is that it doesn’t have a label: Andrew Bonello
Wednesday, 24 February 2021In Malta the Prime Minister has announced a White Paper on a possible new drug reform. Andrew Bonello: "In general, the gist of what the Prime Minister is proposing – that he is considering allowing ...
Labels -
Cannabis reform will allow users to grow plants for personal use, Robert Abela says
Thursday, 18 February 2021Cannabis users will not be sent to prison and will be able to grow a limited amount of plants as part of government’s reform, Prime Minister Robert Abela said. This is the first time that a governmen ...
Labels -
ReLeaf calls on government to decriminalise cannabis cultivation, consumption and sharing
Tuesday, 09 February 2021Cannabis legalisation advocacy group ReLeaf has told the Prime Minister to get on with the decriminalisation of cannabis cultivation and consumption in a meeting. ReLeaf president Andrew Bonello said ...
Labels -
Decriminalise adult cultivation of cannabis with clear rules, ReLeaf says
Friday, 11 December 2020ReLeaf Malta has reiterated a call for the full decriminalisation of adult cultivation of cannabis by 2021. The cannabis law reform group said the Maltese government should prioritise the right to he ...
Labels -
Court rules 130g of cannabis were for personal use
Tuesday, 27 October 2020A court has spared a man a sentence of up to 10 years in prison after more than 100g of cannabis was found in his car, ruling it was for personal use. Magistrate Doreen Clarke observed that there was ...
Labels -
New parliamentary secretary Rosianne Cutajar says it's time to implement cannabis reform
Wednesday, 15 January 2020Rosianne Cutajar, in her new role as reforms parliamentary secretary, said that it is now time to start implementing the cannabis reform, which aims to legalise recreational cannabis. Prime Minister ...
Labels -
No mandatory prison sentence for personal cannabis cultivation under new rules
Thursday, 12 December 2019The prison sentence for a woman who was cultivating cannabis for her personal use, has led to the proposal of legal amendments that will give the Maltese courts discretion on how to sentence such cas ...
Labels -
Drug law failing its purpose as undeserving people get jailed
Monday, 11 November 2019A “draconian” drug law in Malta has forced a magistrate to jail a 39-year-old woman for six months for cultivating six small cannabis plants for her personal use – because “it fails to distinguish be ...
Labels -
Labour exponents call out Julia Farrugia Portelli over cannabis stance
Thursday, 19 September 2019Parliamentary Secretary Julia Farrugia Portelli has come under fire from exponents in her party over comments on cannabis in a TV interview. Farrugia Portelli, who is entrusted with reforms, includin ...
Labels