Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1358359
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 APRIL 2021 OPINION COVID-19 crisis During this crisis, both medical and economic issues determined the size of the GWU. The GWU was proactive dur- ing such a delicate and sensitive time. In any crisis, it is the most vulnerable who must defend their rights and be protected from abuse. We have made important changes on several levels. In- ternally, work was done to pro- tect our employees by taking all precautions required by health authorities. This was done so that the GWU can continue to serve its members during such a difficult time. Employees need someone to show them the way forward. Many employees, and often employers, turn to the un- ion to find out about their rights and responsibilities, so it is im- portant that the GWU continues to provide services. But just as it is important to provide services, it is also im- portant to protect ourselves. In these times, we have adapted to the needs of our members and the country. We have en- gaged directly and virtually in the various workplaces to work with our members to assess the impact of the current situation and work with shop stewards to find solutions to mitigate the impact as much as possible. At each workplace we have created contingency plans for the differ- ent areas on how they can work without infecting others, such as different shifts, protective cloth- ing and separations between machines to name a few. Many other employees have been giv- en the opportunity to work from home. This is done with a structured plan to keep businesses running while protecting members from a financial standpoint, but also from a health standpoint. We believe that by working togeth- er we can stop this virus and get back to normal. Only then can we begin to recover. In these times, as in the pre-liberation period, you have a contrast be- tween two worlds. You have workers who are very worried about losing their jobs, and oth- er workers who are still doing their jobs and are worried about getting sick. But there is one ele- ment that unites them: the fear of uncertainty from the future. As a key social partner in the country, the GWU administra- tion is working in direct consul- tation with the government to jointly see to the direct impact on workers and the govern- ment's response. This work has been going on for a year now. It is actively participating in the MCESD and the ERB. It was the GWU that was proactive and called for an urgent meeting on quarantine leave pay. Meetings between the social partners at both levels are underway and there will be a lively debate. Our work from that day on has helped various workers, even non-members, as they benefit from this package, including hos- pitality workers, shopkeepers, stall holders and taxi workers, and those thousands of workers who are not currently in service or working, to be entitled to the €800 payment by the govern- ment and €400 by the employer announced in the package. This is a difficult time, but with the advent of the COVID vac- cine we have begun to see the way to a new normal. We know that the workers are concerned about this 'invisible enemy' as they were 42 years ago, when they were concerned about the future of the workplace. At this time, I call on everyone to con- tinue to heed the appeals of the health authorities, and I call for the cooperation of each of us to play an important role in stop- ping the spread of this virus. This virus cannot be fought at an individual level, but it re- quires a collective effort. Our society must be disciplined and follow the announcements of the health authorities. The situation calls for personal responsibility, a sense of duty, concern for one's neighbour. It is the responsibility of each of us to not only protect ourselves, but to protect others. Together, just as we arrived on the hill in Vittoriosa to achieve freedom, we are safe to continue togeth- er today to achieve the freedom from this pandemic. Reframing cannabis: a scientific overview THE white paper 'Towards the strengthening of the legal framework on the responsible use of cannabis' as being proposed by the Maltese government sets out to debunk the myths and strip away the half-truths and noise in order to pave the way towards a regulatory legal framework on the use of cannabis in line with developments at EU level. This regulatory legal framework is need- ed since cannabis – as is widely reported by scientists, social scientists, and economists, amongst other experts – has multiple positive medical and social attributes, yet a culture of fear remains due to lack of information. It has long been the most used and seized substance in Malta. As such, it is an issue that is here to stay and ignoring it is counterproductive on every level. The time has come to reframe the situation. A reg- ulatory legal frame- work will help our society move forward with evidence-backed, transformative public policy. For more than a thousand years, can- nabis has been one of the most commonly used illicit drugs for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Its medicinal bene- fits have been widely acknowledged and documented. These include pain manage- ment, treatment of mood swings, anxiety and insomnia, and as an anti-inflammatory and anti-convulsant, amongst others. The research on the al- ready-confirmed medical benefits of cannabis is still ongoing. During the last century there has been a growing interest in cannabis since Prof. Raph- ael Mechoulam and his colleagues (1964) iso- lated and deciphered ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabi- nol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in the plant. The cannabis plant has two main subspecies, Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Sativa, which can be differentiated by their physical char- acteristics. The Indica strains are short plants with broad, dark green leaves with higher amounts of cannabidiol compounds than that found in the Sativa strain, which in turn has a higher amount of THC compounds. On the other hand, Sativa-dominant strains are taller plants with thin pale green leaves. It constitutes of an estimate of 426 chemical entities, 60 of which are cannabinoid com- pounds. The roots and seeds do not contain any THC compounds, whilst materials from the dried stem typically contain 0.3% or less and the lower leaves less than 1% (Cannabis leg- islation in Europe, 2020). However, in female flowers and in plant hairs (the resinproducing trichomes), concentration of THC may reach up to 20% or more. Cannabis potency is primarily evaluated ac- cording to a sample's THC concentration. This is the primary psychoactive cannab- inoid in cannabis. The adverse effects after acute or regular cannabis use are in direct re- lation to THC concentrations in the product. THC is the most known phytocannabinoid in the cannabis plant. Due to THC being the psychoactive com- pound in cannabis, it has been widely reported to be heav- ily involved with the body reward mech- anism, resulting in a psychotropic high and possibly CUD (Can- nabis Use Disorder) if unregulated (Pertwee et al., 2014; Barrie et al., 2017; Zehra et al., 2018; Kroon et al., 2019). CBD is the second most prevalent phy- tocannabinoid in the cannabis plant. Differ- ently from THC, CBD is a non-psychotrop- ic phytocannabinoid, which at high dosages can modulate the in- toxicating effects generated by THC (Jacobs et al., 2016). CBD is an antagonist of CBRs that can only interact indirectly to the latter recep- tors at high concentration. Contrastingly to THC, CBD has been report- ed to bind to other non-CBR types of receptors albeit with low efficiency (Carrier et al., 2006; Cottone et al., 2013 & Pertwee et al., 2014). As mentioned before, the contrast between the THC and CBD has also been highlighted as referred by the United Nations Conference for the Adoption of a Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961). Cannabis and cannabis resin were included in both Schedule I and Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention, putting cannabis in a specific cat- egory of hard drugs, such as heroin. However, in December 2020, they de-scheduled canna- bis and its resin from Schedule IV and anno- tated the entry in Schedule I, wherein prod- ucts with no more than 0.2% of THC are not under international control. Maria Vella is chairperson of the Technical Commitee Cannabis Reform Maria Vella The time has come to reframe the situation. A regulatory legal framework will help our society move forward with evidence- backed, transformative public policy