Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1131709
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 JUNE 2019 NEWS MASSIMO COSTA GEORGE Vella has made known his serious doubts about whether marijuana for recreational use should be le- galised. The President said that, while the drug was of benefit if used in a medical scenario, extending the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use had to be treated with cau- tion. In this regard, he stressed that discussions on any possi- ble recreational marijuana le- galisation should take into ac- count the research of experts in the field, and best practice in this area in other countries. Vella was speaking on Tues- day at a conference on drugs and mental health, organised by the OASI Foundation. Noting that cannabis is the most frequently used drug in Malta after alcohol, he said that its long-term effects have been well documented. "Both as a doctor and a fa- ther I have major reservations on how wise it is to extend the use of cannabis to go beyond its medical usage," he said, "When it comes to medical marijuana, [one has to con- sider] that morphine [for in- stance] has been in use for hundreds of years, and it has both its good and bad aspects. "If it is proved in the future that cannabinoids have a spe- cific medical use, then there is nothing wrong with using the drug for this purpose. But we should be cautious when it comes to extending this to recreational use and head the research on issues such as whether marijuana can act as a gateway drug and on wheth- er it can result in psychologi- cal dependence on the drug." 'Don't label people with drug addicition problems' Vella underlined the impor- tance of avoiding labelling people with substance abuse problems with terms such as "drug- gie" or "junkie", say- ing these only served to portray the persons involved as not being normal. "These labels affect those involve by making them seen different or not normal, and they cause harm while hindering our aims of promoting public health and developing ways of lessening the damage incurred on such individuals," he said. Vella also reiterated his commitment towards making mental health in Malta one of the priorities of his presi- dency, highlighting that a conference is being organised which aims to start removing the stigma surround mental health issues. "We have for many years not given mental health the importance it de- serves. This matter is not only tied to drug use [...] but to the circumstances people find themselves going through in life," he said. "We will be launching an awareness campaign [...] we need to talk about the issue so those affected do not feel excluded." He also underscored that drug use does not always lead to mental health problems, and at the same time, men- tal health problems do not always lead to drug use. "There exist all shades of grey here." Vella added that people suf- fering from drug abuse or mental health problems had to be given the treatment and support the required. "It is a mistake to look at those who have substance abuse problems or mental health issues negatively," he said, "...They need our sym- pathy and love... and we have to understand that we need to give them the help they need." President expresses 'major reservations' on legalisation of recreational marijuana President George Vella MATTHEW VELLA DOCTORS from the anti-abortion organisa- tion Doctors For Life have called on the Com- missioner for Children to declare her position against abortion. The statement comes in the wake of a mount- ing campaign in favour of women's reproduc- tive rights and the pro-choice doctors' group Doctors For Choice. Doctors For Life demanded an "unambigu- ous" statement from Pauline Miceli to "ful- fill her statutory role" by coming out against abortion. "One of the Commissioner for Children's chief functions, is to 'promote special care and protection, including adequate legal pro- tection, for children both before and after birth.' However, recent media reports have raised concern by indicating that the Commis- sioner's Office may be seen as wavering in its support of current Maltese legal protection," Doctors For Life claimed. Commissioner for Children Pauline Miceli recently noted the recommendations of the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child, which called for an end to the criminalisation of abortion "in all circumstances" and for a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents to be implemented. Miceli said that that such education, includ- ing contraception, should be further devel- oped, strengthened, and be made mandatory in all schools. "Just as children are too young to marry, they are also too young to have chil- dren. When this happens, mostly in an un- planned way, children of either sex should be given all the support they need to face the challenges of child-bearing and child-rearing so that these do not stall their individual de- velopment." Doctors For Life, which says has 670 doc- tors including the President of the Republic, George Vella, agreed that education on con- traception should be made mandatory in all schools. But it said the Commissioner had to "fulfill its statutory role in defence of the preborn child", adding that human life "begins at fer- tilisation, then the preborn child is indeed de- serving of the full protection of the law." Children's Commissioner Pauline Miceli Doctors demand anti-abortion statement from Commissioner for Children