Malta: legalization of cannabis possible before Christmas

It is increasingly likely that Malta adopts its plan to legalize cannabis before Christmas. The bill passed its second reading in the Maltese parliament on Monday, with all government MPs voting in favor and all opposition MPs voting against.

It will now move on to the final stage, the Bill Scrutiny Committee, where MPs will discuss the finer details of the proposed legislation. And while bills can stall at this stage for months, the Maltese government intends to move ahead quickly.

Reforms Minister Owen Bonnici said à Lovin Malta that debate would begin as early as next week. After passing the committee stage, the Minister declared that he would present it without delay for third reading, after which it would officially become law.

«The aim is to get through the committee stage quickly,» Bonnici told Lovin Malta. «We have no intention of shelving this bill or reducing the pace and we will stick to that pace.»

The plans to legalize cannabis in Malta proposes that people could possess up to 7 grams of cannabis on their person and grow up to 4 plants at home, with police only able to arrest them if they have reasonable suspicion of trafficking.

People found in possession of between 7 and 28 grams of cannabis will appear before a court instead of a criminal court, representing a significant reduction from the current threshold of 3.5 grams.

The bill also proposes the formation of regulated 'cannabis associations», NGOs that will be authorized to cultivate cannabis on behalf of their registered members.

A new authority on the responsible use of cannabis will be created, and people convicted of cannabis-related offenses that are no longer misdemeanors will be able to have these details removed from their criminal record.