Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1445232
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 JANUARY 2022 INTERVIEW Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt Cannabis may be legal. But it's not a In your first interview as chair of the 'cannabis authority', you stated that Malta would not become 'another Am- sterdam'. But… what is so 'intrinsically wrong' with the Amsterdam model, an- yway? If the idea behind this reform is to 'remove the criminal stigma associ- ated with cannabis'… why not do it the Dutch way: and 'normalise' the drug, to the point that it is openly sold in li- censed coffee shops? Let's start with this: I made that state- ment because I know that – just as there are people out there, who do not want Malta to model the Amsterdam model – there are many others who do. But I didn't mean it in the way you're suggest- ing: as though that model is, in itself, 'in- trinsically wrong'… All I meant is that… we are not going to be following the same model as Am- sterdam. We are going to do things dif- ferently, here. Because the reality in Am- sterdam is that – even if cannabis can be bought openly in coffee shops, and con- sumed in public – it is still technically illegal. It is culturally 'accepted', yes… it is 'tolerated'… but – and this is the situ- ation in many parts of Europe today; not just the Netherlands –what happens, in practice, is that the authorities in those countries simply 'turn a blind eye'. They just pretend it's not illegal, and look the other way… This also means that the cannabis that is being sold in those coffee shops, is still all from the black market. So when peo- ple buy cannabis from a coffee shop in Amsterdam, they are not going to know exactly what they are buying. They will not know the precise THC level, for in- stance… In Malta, on the other hand: if people buy cannabis from an organization, that is following the procedures and poli- cies of the authority, they will know the quality of the cannabis they are buying. Why? Because it's legal here. We are the only country in Europe, to date, to have fully legalized cannabis. So unlike those other countries, we're not 'pretending' that it's legal. It's not a case that the authorities are just 'turning a blind eye'. If something is legal, it's le- gal… and if something is not, it's not… The reform has, however, been criti- cized on that score. For instance: it is legal to carry 7 grammes on your person outside (and keep up to 50 grammes at home); it is also legal to grow up to four plants. But if you smoke your cannabis in public, you are liable to an on-the- spot fine; ditto, if your four plants are visible to anyone else. So… aren't we still 'pretending', up to a point? Isn't it a case where cannabis is 'legal'… but only on paper? I think that's a very important state- ment you just made there: because if we were to just go 'gung-ho' – and allow everything all out in the open: plants, everywhere you look; coffee shops on every street corner… sorry, but that is not the right way to create, and develop, and build on, a proper, well-researched cannabis policy. We also have to assess what the impact of this law is going to be. Because, in line with the structures we are creating – the authority itself; the licensing of organisations, to grow and sell cannabis legally – we are also going to be assessing the impact of the new policy. Are there any problems? What are the problems? Even the fact that we are now allowing certain things, that were illegal until only yesterday… that's a big change. It cannot simply be done overnight. We have to also ask our- selves: what is the outcome of all this going to be? Within a year, we will be in a position to answer some of those questions. We will have a clearer picture of how this reform is truly affecting our society. But in the meantime, the Authority certain- ly cannot take its decisions only on the basis that 'some people want this, and others want that'. Because just as there are a lot of people, out there, who would like to see the same sort of permissiveness as Amsterdam – with its coffee-shops; and the freedom to smoke wherever you like, etc. – there are also people who are very afraid of all that; who are not knowledgeable about the subject; and who don't know what the impact of all that is going to be… And this is the information we are go- ing to be providing: not on the basis of what I myself – or anyone else – thinks is 'right'… but on the basis of clear, ob- jective, scientific evidence. This is, in fact, why I think that passing this law was a very good move. Because it wasn't a case of simply creating a 'free- for-all'; there has also been an endeav- our, to balance out the various different types of research, ideas, beliefs – and wants and needs – of people. And this is how it should be. I think there has to be a balance: you have to take into consideration all aspects of re- search, and all aspects of what the Mal- tese people want; or are worried about. So I think it's very fair, that the law both allows cannabis to be legal – so that peo- ple can grow, and smoke their cannabis in peace (and above all, safely) – but al- so, that people are being reassured that the changes will not be too drastic, or too rushed. I think the reform balances those two objectives quite successfully… Perhaps: but – at the risk of repeating a question you've been asked before – this must be viewed in the context of your previous opposition, to the same reform you are now piloting. Given that you are on record, sharing those same concerns yourself… isn't there the dan- Malta will not become 'another Amsterdam'; for as MARIELLA DIMECH – executive chairperson of the newly- formed Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis – points out… the emphasis is on the word 'responsible'