Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1436880
Cyrus Engerer is a Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer 13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 DECEMBER 2021 OPINION Cannabis law: Empowering people over profits THE Nationalist Party is in cri- sis. An identity crisis. The con- servative Religio et Patria party has for the last decade flirted with liberal voting bases in the hopes of convincing the elector- ate that they had what it takes to move us into the future. But if the last few months have taught us anything, it's that they do not. They are still a highly conserv- ative party at their core, and al- most as importantly: capitalistic and elitist. Their abrasion to the Maltese Government's newest laws on cannabis is the latest proof of this. Malta's cannabis law has been approved at committee stage. And this has been done with no thanks to Malta's conservative party. Earlier this month, the PN came out and declared that it was against the proposed bill. However this week, during the final committee stage, the PN did not submit any amend- ments to the proposed bill in order to adjust the proposed law in a way which would safe- guard their fears about aspects of the proposed legislation they found to be problematic. The PN has argued that the proposed bill is one which nor- malises drug abuse- and yet, it refrained from proposing amendments that suggested more support, education and knowledge sharing in order to empower people to make in- formed decisions about con- sumption. The fact that no amendments whatsoever have been tabled in any regard shows that the PN has no data or research to back their claims that the proposed bill encour- ages drug use. This is because data on cannabis use proves the opposite. The idea that cannabis somehow encourag- es substance abuse has been debunked for years, with even Sedqa themselves dropping the narrative of "cannabis as a gateway drug". The question then becomes, what is the PN's issue with the proposed law, if there is no evidence to suggest that Malta's new cannabis laws will result in social decline? The answer for cannabis-pol- icy affinados is clear. The PN doesn't like Malta's new Can- nabis Legislation, because it is the most anti-capitalistic leg- islation relating to cannabis in the world. The legislation that the Maltese government has put on the table is one that al- lows for the establishment of Cannabis Associations, a move which my office proudly pro- posed in our contribution to the white paper as the way for- ward. Cannabis Associations do not seek to make money. They are not there for profit, they are simply there to run. And this is something which perplexes the Nationalist Party. For the Nationalist Party, profits must come before peo- ple. If it wasn't the case, they wouldn't have such an abrasion to the laws on the table. This is because the Maltese Gov- ernment's new law is all about people and not about profit. While indeed the law allows for an element of taxation on asso- ciations, the aim of the asso- ciations themselves are not to become large cannabis moguls like we see in the United States or Canada. The law does not serve the purpose of allowing large corporations to capitalise on cannabis as a product- the law simply serves the purpose of allowing people to obtain or grow cannabis in a controlled way, with the aim of respon- sible enjoyment. The fact that this will not make anyone rich, is something the PN have a very hard time wrapping their head around. A few months ago I hosted the first high level conference on Cannabis legislation across the EU and I worked very closely with the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Pol- icies. Following the publication of Malta's legislation they were clear: Malta's legislation is the most left wing cannabis policy on the planet. It takes from nu- merous left-wing concepts and works against the current tide which commodifies cannabis as an industry for capital gain and growth. The fact that no amendments whatsoever have been tabled in any regard shows that the PN has no data or research to back their claims that the proposed bill encourages drug use. This is because data on cannabis use proves the opposite The PN declared it was against the proposed cannabis reform but, during the final committee stage, it did not submit any amendments to the proposed bill