[WATCH] Andrew Bonello: ‘Cannabis association deregulation only way to kill off shadow market’

ReLeaf President Andrew Bonello believes deregulation on how people purchase their legal cannabis is the only way to kill the shadow market.  

He sits with me to discuss government cannabis reform, what he wants to see change and his NGO’s relationship with Caritas.  

With driving out the cannabis shadow market being among the top priorities for the reform, Bonello is asked why illegal marijuana is still being sold and people are still being caught trafficking the substance.  

He believes that restrictions which are still in place, such as the registration of members, and limits on possession, the shadow market still has the upper hand.  

On complaints about the consumption of smokable cannabis in public, Bonello questions whether this is a moral or physical health concern.  

“If you are in a small room, and there are people smoking than it is a health issue, but if you are outside, and you don’t agree with it, that is a moral issue,” he says, insisting that people who are not responsible can be found in every aspect in life.  

He is also an advocate for onsite consumption at cannabis clubs, which is currently illegal in Malta.  

“People are forced to consume cannabis alone, as they want us to do, and this is more dangerous, rather than consuming as group,” he says, falling short of mentioning who “they” are.  

When asked whether he feels cannabis associations should switch to a commercial model, Bonello says he is caught between two minds.  

“We are not completely against it, but the issue with commercialisation is that you do not have a level playing field among associations, and you would have franchises which take over the market, consolidate the business and drive out the small guys,” he says.  

Questioned whether ReLeaf considers Caritas its “enemy”, he plays down their opposition, insisting they do agree on a number of points.  

“I have to say that Caritas always agreed with decriminalisation. The difference in views came when we started discussing [possession] amounts, and they wanted less. I have to say we have a good rapport, but we are at logger heads,” he says jokingly.  

The following is an excerpt of the interview. 

The full interview can also be viewed on Facebook and Spotify. 

Government in 2021 regularised cannabis. We can buy cannabis legally; we can grow it at home. You should be happy, right?  

We’re happy that we made the first step. It was an important step, but a lot remains to be done. That first step could have seen better legal amendments for people who consume cannabis, with these changes having to be carried out now. We want to see consumers better protected from the Courts, from arrests and from fines.  

But protection from what? You can be in the possession of 7g of cannabis, if you are caught with a higher amount, you only get fined and not charged in court, you can grow four plants at home and you can be in possession of 50g at home, what more do you want?  

7g is too little of an amount. In a pack of cigarettes, you find 30grams of tobacco. If you compare you realise that 7g is too low of an amount. People do carry more cannabis on them, but that does not mean they are traffickers.  

If you look at the 50g limit it is also a low amount, as from a plant you can harvest double that amount, and we have already forwarded our proposals to raise the limit to 200g so that it is more realistic. Only in this way can we have full decriminalisation and not partial criminalisation as is the case today.  

You also criticise the law for not allowing onsite consumption. Let’s start by explaining what this means… 

Onsite consumption means going to a bar, and you can drink at that bar. Currently associations are only dispensaries, and you cannot consume there.  

[…] 

People are forced to consume cannabis alone, as they want us to do, and this is more dangerous, rather than consuming as group.  

I understand, and yes, onsite consumption does solve some problems we were speaking about like public consumption, but it creates its own problems. Will this not lead to people to driving under the influence for example? 

I think that applies to every substance not just cannabis. You have to be educated, you have to be responsible, and hail a cab, or have a designated driver. I think it is not a valid reason to bar onsite consumption.  

One of the arguments for cannabis legalisation is that it will eradicate the black market. Cannabis in Malta has been regularised for around three years now, but one can still buy cannabis illegally and people are still caught trafficking cannabis. Has this aspect of the reform failed? 

To kill the black market, we cannot have the current restrictions, as the illicit market has none of these restrictions, and so it is already an advantage for them. When we lift these restrictions, and people feel more confident in going to associations to get their cannabis, then we will see the situation change.  

It will take time, and it is not easy, but over time it will happen. If we look to other countries, like Canada for example, the legal cannabis market was at around 70%, but in the beginning, it stood at around 30%. Slowly, slowly once people get to trust the system, the trends change.  

One issue you have is that people who enrol with associations have to give their details, and this is leading to people not trusting that system and staying away from the legal market.  

[…] 

Possibly registration is the only barrier to killing off the shadow market? Is that what is keeping the shadow market alive? 

No, it’s not the only barrier. Don’t forget, the associations currently have around 3,000 to 4,000 members, and consumers stand at around 40 t0 50,000. When they first opened, they were full up immediately, and so we need to see more associations. Gozo has no associations for example, and so if they want to buy legal cannabis, they have to cross the channel, as they cannot buy in bulk due to the seven gram per day limit, or end up buying from the black market.