Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1072992
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 JANUARY 2019 NEWS YANNICK PACE OBLIGING Maltese cannabis smokers to register for them to have access to cannabis will achieve the opposite of the gov- ernment's stated aim of adopt- ing a harm reduction approach, according to the pressure group ReLeaf. Earlier this month, reforms parliamentary secretary Julia Farrugia told MaltaToday that government was actively con- sidering having a user registra- tion system as part of the pro- posed reform of laws regarding recreational cannabis use. "Government will be insisting on some principles, including a minimum legal age of 21, abso- lute prohibition [to smoke] in public places, as well as a user registration platform that pro- tects users from criminal action and controls dispensing," Far- rugia Portelli told MaltaToday. The junior minister explained that the reform would be rooted in a harm reduction approach which would necessitate some way of monitoring how much problem cannabis users are consuming. But ReLeaf, when asked about their position on the proposal, said that it was a joke, worthier of a "communist" state. It said that beyond the use of "buzz words", one needed to properly define and understand what harm reduction means. "[It] refers to policies, pro- grammes and practices that aim to reduce the harms asso- ciated with the use of drugs in people who are unable or un- willing to stop," a spokesperson for the group told MaltaToday. ReLeaf stressed that the defin- ing feature of the approach is to have people who are already us- ers do the least possible amount of harm to themselves and not to prevent people from becom- ing new users. While the group agrees with the government's approach of educating youngsters about the risks associated with cannabis, it maintains that dealing with people who are already smokers requires a different approach. "When the government pro- poses introducing a register, it is contradicting itself and going against harm reduction princi- ples," ReLeaf said. While it agrees that some form of interaction between the user and wherever they are purchasing it from is required to promote responsible use, Re- Leaf believes a centralised reg- ister would stigmatise users and drive those likely to need help to the black market. "A similar approach isn't pro- posed by the government for other addictive substances like alcohol and tobacco…We do not have people registering eve- ry time they buy high-saturated foods that can lead to an eating disorder." Uruguay, the first country to legalise cannabis for recrea- tional use, did so by introducing a requirement for smokers and growers to register. As of 2018, the country had a combined 35,000 registered individuals making use of one of three sys- tems available for smoking, out of an estimated 160,000 smok- ers across the country. In fact, some estimates place the legal cannabis market at just 20% of the total in the country. Sensible and proportional approach ReLeaf maintains that any re- form needs to ensure that the country doesn't "end up with a commercialised jungle" as, it said, has happened with alcohol and cigarettes. At the same time, require- ments placed on smokers should not be "too stringent" in order for them not to act as a deterrent to use of the legal system. For example, the group stressed that a ban on smok- ing in public places should be applied with "sensibility and proportionality" and that ef- forts would be best focused on teaching smokers to respect others while enjoying cannabis, rather than police playing a "cat and mouse game" with smok- ers. So far, the government has said that it does not envisage having coffee shops, smoking clubs and the cultivation of cannabis but has not yet de- scribed the type of models be- ing considered for smokers to be provided with legal access to cannabis. ReLeaf believes that Malta should come up with a model that places users "at the helm of decision-making" and one that is conducive to responsible cannabis use. Introducing too many checks and obstacles for smokers, it argues, gives the mistaken im- pression that all cannabis users are problematic and need to be monitored by the state. "The Maltese model should strike a balance between per- sonal choice and the well-being of the individual," ReLeaf said. Balance system using home growing Part of building a model that can strike this balance is per- mitting smokers and small- scale growers to operate and thrive, the group believes. ReLeaf points out that it is "again counterproductive to the principles of harm reduc- tion to allow big corporations – having as their sole interest monetary gain – to have a mo- nopoly on a plant that has been criminalised for so long". In this regard, the group in- sists that local small-scale growers should be protected and given precedence over foreign operators. This, they claim, should include local pro- ducers given the necessary legal and commercial "safeguards" to fully participate in the local regulated market. "These growers have the ex- pertise, experience and a direct link with local consumers. This would ensure greater harmo- nisation between demand and supply, but also promote local produce as a unique home- grown product." Cannabis register contradicts stated policy, lobby says Obliging cannabis smokers to register themselves with the State will accomplish the opposite of harm reduction, pro- regulation group ReLeaf says "When the government proposes introducing a register, it is contradicting itself and going against harm reduction principles"