Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/946236
13 TIA RELJIC OPPOSITION leader Adrian Delia is demanding transparency from the government on three let- ters of intent issued to producers of medicinal cannabis seeking to set up shop in Malta. Delia struck a cautious note on the medical cannabis bill the La- bour government is pushing, say- ing the bill was being passed too quickly and that it lacked detail. The fact that a second piece of legislation – which is separate from that of the one on medical cannabis – is being proposed by government, raises concerns, a spokesperson for the National- ist party told MaltaToday. Dur- ing the Parliamentary debate, the Opposition put forward a series of proposals on how this legislation could be drastically improved and mitigate the gap- ing loopholes it has in its present form, he said. "It's as if an investment was al- ready made, and a law is being cre- ated to accommodate the invest- ment," Delia said in Parliament on Tuesday, adding that the bill did not provide certain reassurances. He demanded that the public be made privy to information on who the companies issued with let- ters of intent from the ministry of the economy are, where they hail from, and what are the measures that will be implemented by the government in order to guarantee rigour and security in the indus- try. While both sides of the House appear to be in favour of a new law to regulate the production of medical cannabis as a pharma- ceutical product, the Opposition is expected to request a number of amendments before the law is passed. "The Opposition is in favour of investment in the pharmaceuti- cal sector. It was the Nationalist Party in government which cre- ated this sector," Delia said. "But the bill is being presented by economy minister Chris Cardona, which means it is a law on invest- ment, not health. And the bill is unclear about whether the law is about production of medicine, or about permitting the cultivation of cannabis: they are two separate things." Delia also expressed concern about the lack of clarity on which authority will be regulating the sector. "Factually the law lacks the competences which permit a competent authority. There is no reassurance that there will be an appropriate regulator who will be overseeing the entire process." Shadow economy minister Kristy Debono said the bill was only eight pages long, suggesting it was inadequate for such a sensi- tive issue. "People need more informa- tion," she said, pointing at the Canadian law on cannabis cited as an example by economy minister Chris Cardona being 350 pages long. "With a law like this, the devil is in the detail… there should have been an open consultation process not only with Opposition but also with other stakeholders before furthering the bill." Debono also said the law must be accompanied by a serious economic model, and one which will not create unnecessary mo- nopolies. "The cannabis produc- tion market needs to be an open and competitive one, and the bill requires details on what exactly constitutes due diligence in this regard." "The law lacks detail, the neces- sary information is not there and the Opposition is not convinced the government will regulate traceability and manage the pro- cess from seed to sale on an inter- national basis so as to ensure that Malta will not become a hub for drug trafficking and unregulated growers," Debono said. The MP also claimed that in the majority of countries which start- ed off producing cannabis, the law allowing this was a gateway to the eventual legalisation of recrea- tional cannabis. Democratic Party MP Godfrey Farrugia also said that the bill needs to be accompanied by a campaign of information which informs of the benefits and risks of medicinal cannabis use. While noting that Malta stands to benefit from being a prime leader in the production of me- dicinal cannabis, Farrugia said the sector cannot be regulated by the minister. "The regulator needs to be someone who is capable of guar- anteeing good value for money in an open market," he said, calling for the standard licensing pro- cesses to be more stringent than that of production of any other synthetic medicine. "The law as it is needs to be strengthened by a number of legal notices," Farru- gia added. Nationalist party MP Edwin Vassallo also suggested that land in Bulebel earmarked for the ex- tension of the industrial zone was being earmarked for the produc- tion of cannabis. Vassallo said the government was not categori- cally stating that the bill will not lead to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational purposes. "I want to hear a declaration because this will provide reassurance." He even suggested that the bill was, in itself, illegal by lacking the necessary legal notices. "The legis- lation on its own will not regulate the market. Reassurance cannot be provided until then. What will come first – the letter of intent from Malta Enterprise or the me- dicinal licence?" maltatoday SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2018 News By a decree of the 26th September, 2017, given by the First Hall of the Civil Courts, ordered that the extract hereunder mentioned be published for the purpose of service according to article 187(3) of the Code of Organization and Civil Procedure (Cap. 12). That by the application filed by the Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals on the 23rd March, 2017, is asking for the withdrawal of the amount of €777.01 deposited by the Schedule of Deposit number 459/2017 in the names of: Registrar of Courts and Civil Tribunals vs George Camilleri (ID 491071M) The Court ordered the notification of this application with a week for filing a replay. Registry of the First Hall of Civil Courts (Malta), today the 4th December, 2017 Marvic Farrugia For Registrar of Courts and Civil Tribunals. PARTIT Demokratiku has declared it is in favour of a citizenship-by-in- vestment scheme that would have "thorough due diligence and moni- tored safeguards". The party claimed that the first batch of citizens who acquired Maltese citizenship through the In- dividual Investor Programme had not been subjected to thorough processes of background checks. PD said that a new initiative to extend the IIP's limit of applicants beyond 1,800 citizens should now be rolled back. "We have to take a step back, take stock of the situation and clean up the scheme. The programme should be open to other entities apart from Henley's & Partners," PD said in a statement, calling for an investigation into 'shady' real es- tate deals. PD said a "cosmetic" call for pub- lic consultation on the extension of the IIP was "not on", referring to an online survey issued by Identity Malta asking the public for its views on the programme. It said the IIP had been "shrouded in bad govern- ance and a lack of transparency". "We are proud Maltese, proud of our homeland, proud of our pat- rimony and proud of our achieve- ments despite being a small nation state. It is our identity, our cred- ibility, our civic sense and reputa- tion that are at stake should we not pursue an ethical economy. PD appeals to the Prime Minister so that the guiding principle of right- eousness is followed and to stop his salesmanship as it is damaging our nation's credibility." PD urges caution on IIP extension Opposition building up strong critique of medical cannabis bill