A cannabis milestone

Malta has its first cannabis association that is fully operational, just over two years since recreational cannabis was legalised.

The association obtained clearance from the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) to grow and distribute cannabis to registered adult members.

The development marks an important milestone in Malta’s road to regulate recreational cannabis that started with an electoral pledge made by the Labour Party in 2017.

It is important to note that the association had to successfully pass all mandatory laboratory testing of its products by ARUC before it start selling. This is crucial because it ensures the product is free from unwanted contaminants, giving cannabis users peace of mind that the product they are consuming is of good quality.

It was always crucial for the success of a regulated model to have a seed-to-distribution approach. In this way, the product being sold has traceable origins, making it easier to monitor its quality and the robustness of the growing processes.

This approach eliminates one of the potential risks associated with illegality, whereby cannabis users are at the mercy of those supplying them with the drug.

Having regulated associations also allows users to cut off links with the criminal underworld and buy their product from a trusted source.

So far, the prices being offered by the organisation that has started selling cannabis to registered members, compare favourably with what is available on the black market, making it not only a safe and legal alternative but also a financially viable one. This is not a flippant reason since price sensitivity does play a role in the wider picture.

As more associations come on stream and the legal market starts to set, ARUC would do good to carry out an ongoing evaluation of the situation to identify any challenges that may crop up. This will enable the authority to change regulations or propose amendments to the law.

One such challenge this leader believes could crop up is the distribution channel of regulated cannabis. As things stand today, registered cannabis users have to physically go to the premises of the association they form part of to buy their supply. This may not be the most efficient way to distribute the product and thus legislative changes are required to allow associations to deliver the product to where their users are.

A second consideration is the need for fuller disclosure of who the associations are and what products they are selling to enable prospective members make an informed choice when deciding which association to join.

As things stand, associations cannot advertise themselves and ARUC’s website only contains a list of registered organisations, their respective contact person, their phone number and an email address.

This leader believes the ARUC website should provide more information on the products being sold by the individual associations or else allow the associations to have publicly-accessible websites.

The underlying aim of the cannabis reform was to foster a safe and clean environment for users thus removing the stigma of criminality. The authority must ensure that these aims are continuously met.

The authority’s executive chair Leonid McKay is a social researcher at heart. Wherever he has served, most notably Caritas and the Housing Authority, he has always adopted an evidence-based approach to policy making. This leader trusts that McKay will adopt the same approach at ARUC to ensure the legal cannabis market functions in the best interest of consumers and society.

Malta’s legislative and regulatory set up in the recreational cannabis sector has been somewhat of trailblazer in Europe and it must remain at the forefront. ARUC must ensure continuous monitoring and evaluation to fine-tune and change the regulatory framework as necessary to keep the shadow economy at bay and foster a safe environment where adults can make informed choices.