Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/884700
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2017 15 Interview The topic of 'legalisation' has often cropped up in the past. There have been public demonstrations, calls for a national debate, a lot of resistance from anti-drug agencies, etc... yet the issue never seems to go any further than that. Why was it felt necessary to come up with a new pro-legalisation movement – 'Releaf' – precisely now? and safety issue you have the peace of mind that what you're buying hasn't been adulterated or spiked... you'll know it's natural and not syn- thetic. May I emphasise, by the way, that 'synthetic marijuana' is not marijuana at all. And above all, there will be reassurance that the people buying will not be minors. We fully support the harshest penalties for anyone caught selling to minors. This is something that we expect to be enforced. At the same time, however, Releaf seems to be a tiny minority when compared to the many organisations which have come out against legalisation. Were you expecting such a co- ordinated resistance? Yes... as in fact there had al- ready been resistance even when the topic was raised just for dis- cussion. But Malta is no longer the same as it used to be. There are indications that the popula- tion at large is no longer all that conservative: at least, not when it comes to possession and per- sonal use of cannabis. We're seeing, for instance, that a lot of older people agree with our posi- tion. The perception that this is something that appeals only to younger generations is not really true. We're getting a lot of posi- tive feedback from people of all ages... for different reasons, per- haps. The medical marijuana is- sue made a difference in the way people perceive the drug. Some parents even told us that their children stopped using other drugs once they turned to mari- juana... This seems to directly contradict one of the main arguments against legalisation: the 'Gateway drug' scenario, which views marijuana as a stepping stone for harder and more dangerous drugs. How do you respond to that particular argument? Isn't it partly true that most hard drug users would, in fact, have started out by smoking marijuana? Science paints a very differ- ent picture. Recently, even the CIA has admitted that the gate- way drug theory isn't true. Not even they believe it anymore. If you look at each individual case of drug use, you will often find that it started first and foremost with legal substances: cigarettes and alcohol. But because society doesn't view those substances as 'drugs' – and even then, only because they're not illegal – they don't get counted as the original point of departure. Besides, eve- ryday experience demonstrates the opposite. There are plenty of scientific studies proving that, in places where marijuana was legalised, it was viewed as an 'opt-out' drug for heroin ad- dicts: in some cases addicts were prescribed marijuana as a means of easing out of their heroin ad- diction. Even the use of mari- juana itself actually went down wherever it was legalised. But the biggest argument is that, if marijuana really was a gateway drug... there would be millions more drug addicts than there ac- tually are. Because a lot and a lot of people smoke marijuana: and if ALL these people took the next step... well, our society would already be completely screwed. It's like the old argument that anyone who touches whisky will become an alcoholic... you can see with your own eyes that it's not true. How extensive would you say marijuana use is in Malta today? I'm not asking for a precise figure, naturally, but just a general idea... It's hard to say. My impres- sion is that a lot of people smoke marijuana in Malta. We're cer- tainly talking about large num- bers. But it varies: there are those who smoke regularly; others only once in a while... some may take it only for medical reasons: pain relief, and so on. But 'marijuana use', as such, is a reality that is here to stay. It was here before, and it's not going to go away... so what we're suggesting is that it should be properly regulated. That's a job that falls to the government; and already there are indications that the issue might turn into the usual political football. The Opposition has in fact come out against legalisation, and the Labour Party is itself understood to be internally divided. How do you see this developing politically? Unfortunately the issue has already become politicised. It's a pity because what many don't realise is that ordinary people are affected. When an issue like this becomes polarised on parti- san lines, you can't even discuss it seriously... the discussion gets taken over by other interests. I understand that there has to be a debate; we weren't expect- ing everyone to agree with us. But I was hoping the discussion would be based on scientific facts and correct information... and not the same old scaremon- gering tactics of the past. Hav- ing said this, from our end, we will be willing to work with any- one who is ready to listen to our proposals. Whether it's Labour, AD or PN, it makes no differ- ence to us.