Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1054415
24 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 NOVEMBER 2018 KURT SANSONE CARS with foreign number plates can no longer get away with parking infringements as authorities resort to clamping and on-the-spot fines to curb abuse. Information obtained from Trans- port Malta showed that 876 vehicles were clamped between January and September this year. Enforcement officials have no way of tracing the owners of cars with foreign number plates, a situation that was leading to parking infringe- ments going unpunished. But a change in the law last year has allowed Transport Malta offi- cials to clamp vehicles. When a car is clamped, the own- er can call a phone number for a Transport Malta official to remove the clamp upon a payment of a €180 fine. "Transport Malta is doing random patrols and is following up on re- ports to curtail abuses. TM officials clamp irregular vehicles, or foreign- plated vehicles parked illegally," a spokesperson for the authority said. If the owner fails to reclaim the ve- hicle, it will be towed and additional fees will apply, he added. The spokesperson said that a ve- hicle with a foreign plate could only be driven by a non-resident and can circulate on Maltese roads for up to seven months within a period of 12 months. Cars with foreign number plates belonging to Maltese citizens will also be clamped if parked illegally. DAVID HUDSON MALTA is fully committed to research the medical use of cannabis, Parliamentary Secretary Deo Debattista has told delegates at the Medi- cal Cannabis World Forum gathered in Valletta. Debattista said cannabis re- search was a priority area for the Medicines Authority. Malta legalised cannabis for medical use this year but there is still a lot of wariness in terms of prescribing the substance. It was recently the cause of controversy when patients prescribed cannabis as medication faced the pros- pect of having their driving licences suspended. The two-day-long forum started yesterday and in- cludes panels of experts from the EU and Canada, includ- ing Deepak Anand, a Cana- dian politician and Executive Director of the Canadian National Medical Marijuana Association (CNMMA). Experts unanimously agreed that Malta is lead- ing Europe in the realm of medical cannabis. "Malta has floodlit an area which is still shaky else- where," Debattista said at the opening of the event. "Can- nabis has been recognised for its treatment properties thousands of years ago and it's only now that it's being considered innovative." He said the Medicines Au- thority has made research into cannabis a priority and is currently offering consul- tation and guidance. Labour MEP Miriam Dalli, a keynote speaker, praised Malta for understanding the business opportunities that come with the medical can- nabis industry. "The reason why EU member states dif- fer on this issue, even though many like Spain and the UK have legalised medical can- nabis, is the lack of scientific data," she said. Dalli said there was cer- tainty though over the thera- peutic effects medical canna- bis offers to those suffering from chronic pain. The lack of data available, however, on other aspects of the drug should not deter legislators from testing what could oth- erwise be a very useful sub- stance, she added. Cars with foreign number plates get clamped over illegal parking Cannabis research is Malta Medicines Authority's priority