Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1445232
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 JANUARY 2022 INTERVIEW 'free-for-all' ger of drifting away from the original aims of the reform itself: for instance, by making the situation more 'prohibi- tive', than it needs to be? But that's exactly what I meant by scientific evidence. It has nothing to do with 'what I think', or any opinion I might have myself. Whether I 'agree' with anything, or not: the policies and procedures we are in the process of for- mulating, will be based on a scientific assessment of the actual impact on the ground. My own views don't come into it all. On the subject of my past statements, however: the reason that I took on this role, in the first place, is that I very much believe that – if the authority functions well – it is perfectly possible to achieve the objective of 'harm reduction', pre- cisely through this type of approach. Because while the policies we enact, and the models we adopt, may change over time… the basic objective has al- ways remained the same. We are still trying to protect people, from the dan- gers of substance abuse. So I don't feel that I have shifted from any previous position, myself. I still stand by everything I've ever said before. I will certainly never 'promote substance abuse', in any shape or form. Never. That was my position 10 years ago, and it remains my position today. But at the same time: l do have some experience with substance abusers; I have worked with, and cared for, sub- stance abusers for all my working life; and this gives me at least a little insight, into the factors that lead people down that sort of path. It's my line; my profes- sion; and from that perspective, it is far more important, to me, that we have a Cannabis Authority that functions prop- erly… rather than a system that, howev- er well-intentioned, simply doesn't work in practice, at all. Let's look at how this law works, then. According to what you've just told me, Malta will not become 'another Amster- dam'; but at the same time, there will licensed organisations selling canna- bis legally, to paid-up members. This means that they will have to provide large quite large quantities of canna- bis; where will it all come from? It will be grown, by the organisations themselves… You make it sound easy; but a cannabis plantation is a fairly large, expensive undertaking: it requires land, exper- tise, specific indoor lighting, etc. Yet these organisations are all supposed to be 'non-profit'. So who could even af- ford to embark on such an investment, with no possibility of a return? Tell you the truth, we are only at the very beginning – both locally, and in- ternationally – of the process leading to the actual policies themselves: regarding who can apply for a licence, and how, and under what conditions, etc. But first up, I can tell you from now that the same opportunity will be open to everybody, who meets the established criteria. And while there may well be large organisations involved… I myself expect there to also be smaller, 'person- al' organisations forming: where you have a small group of people who decide to grow their own cannabis; share the expenses; and basically, avail of the same opportunities… But what would be in it for them? They can't make any profit out of it; especial- ly when – as you also hinted, in another interview – the resulting cannabis will have to be sold 'at a cheaper price than the black market'… And by quality, I don't just mean how 'good' the weed is… or how 'high' it makes you… but what its active THC content is; how it can be expected to af- fect you, both physically and mentally; and even whether it's the sort of canna- bis that you were actually looking for. Because not everyone's experience of that drug is going to be the same. There are people who only want to have a few grammes at home, so that – every once in a while – they can relax by smoking a joint, after work; there are others who may need some cannabis, for those moments when they feel anxious… and there are some people who might get anxiety attacks, simply because they don't have any cannabis. By the same argument, however, there are also going to people who – possibly because of a psychiatric condition: there is, after all, solid research about the neg- ative effects of cannabis, in such cases – quite frankly shouldn't be smoking can- nabis at all, under any circumstance. In fact, I have seen some cases myself. There are people who have experienced psychotic episodes, triggered by sub- stance abuse. Not just cannabis, mind you: but the research is all there; and yes, it can – and does – happen. This is also something to be concerned about… How does the law provide for such cas- es, though? Will, for instance, these li- censed organisations be able to refuse a customer, on that basis? Well: the reality is that these cases have always happened in the past, and will continue to happen in future, no matter what the law says, or doesn't say. Let's face it: there is no such thing as a law which can simply stop people from ei- ther doing drugs in the first place… or, still less, suffering serious consequences, if they do. And to understand why, we have to go back to the question of what makes people resort to substance abuse to start with. There is, in fact, a very good study – undertaken by Prof. Andrew Azzopar- di and Prof. Marilyn Clark, of the Uni- versity of Malta – which analysed the risk factors of substance abuse among adolescents. Very interesting, and pre- cisely the type of information we are currently looking at. Because one of the responsibilities of the Authority is also to 'educate'; and this includes the responsibility of learn- ing to recognize what these risk factors' actually are. So to answer your question more directly: yes, the idea is that those licensed organisations which are selling cannabis, will ideally also undergo train- ing, where necessary. And apart from learning about the dif- ferent types of cannabis: the THC-levels, the technical aspects of cultivation, and so on… we want them to also be able to, at least, recognize any 'red flags', if they see them. Ideally, they should recognize if some- one comes in, who is visibly feeling un- well… or who is manifesting symptoms of any condition, that might make it dangerous for that person to consume cannabis. Likewise, if someone starts coming in, and buys 7 grammes, each and every single day… clearly, that's a problem. That's another red flag, to look out for... So at the end of the day, it's all about striking the right balance, really: how to allow a safe, non-stigmatised way for people to be able to smoke cannabis… but at the same time, to educate – and give all the necessary information – for people to make informed decisions, and reduce the risk of serious repercussions. We shall have to wait and see, naturally, how successful we will be…. but the re- form is, at least, an important first step. PHOTO: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTATODAY