14
NEWS
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 NOVEMBER 2021
NICOLE MEILAK
MALTA'S bold step to legalise
recreational amounts of can-
nabis has its critics concerned
over various social aspects sur-
rounding the creation of can-
nabis clubs, the not-for-profit
associations that will dispense
legally-grown cannabis.
As one lecturer in criminol-
ogy told MaltaToday, much of
the success of the removal of
restrictions on cannabis also
depends on enforcing the legal
supplies grown by the cannabis
clubs, to stop it from entering
the stream of illicit cannabis.
Cannabis has consistently
been the most used illicit sub-
stance among the Maltese:
the European School Survey
Project on Alcohol and Other
Drugs, or ESPAD, found that
one-third of 15-16-year-olds in
2019 found it easily obtainable
– in 1995, only 10% thought
the same.
The legalisation of buying,
dispensation, and home cul-
tivation of cannabis will make
that access even easier, allow-
ing users to get their supply
from regulated clubs rather
than their dealer.
But there is opportunity in
the new reform for those with
a foot already in illicit territory.
Demand for cannabis is high
on the global market, and sup-
pliers producing legal cannabis
Safe and user-friendly... the dark web will become a new outlet for cannabis surplus growth in Malta
Legal cannabis
could see surpluses
diverted to dark web
