Malta wants to legalize cannabis within 2 years

Rosianne Cutajar, recently appointed Minister for Reforms, said it was time to move forward with the legalization of cannabis.

«Look, we've spent a lot of time in consultation, but now it's time to implement it. Without a doubt, in the next two years we will see the implementation of the reform,» said Cutajar. to MaltaToday.

«I've already passed reforms from the bottom [of Parliament] and I'll do it even more now that I have a Cabinet role,» she said.

With the legalization of medical cannabis in Malta and its booming industry, the former Minister of Reform, Julia Farrugia Portelli, promised to legalize cannabis.

Last November, Rosianne Cutajar lent her support to a Maltese woman sentenced to six months in prison for growing 6.5g of cannabis.

«I also don't agree that someone should be sent to prison for six months and ruin their life because of 6.5g of cannabis,» she said. «If we truly believe that cannabis can be harmful (even if studies dispute it), sentencing should focus on help and rehabilitation, not prison.»

The Minister of Justice, Owen Bonnici, finally proposed an update to the law Maltese law on self-cultivation, proposing to grant discretionary power to the court to convict or not convict a person caught cultivating cannabis and able to prove that it was strictly for personal use.

Both Malta's Prime Minister and Health Minister support the legalization of cannabis. Health Minister Fearne said that as a doctor, his medical advice would be not to smoke, whether cigarettes, cigars or cannabis, but that he didn't want to interfere with people's personal choices.

«As for what people want to do in their free time, I'll leave that up to them, as long as they know what they're doing,» he said.