Legalising marijuana risks harming society, Assistant Commissioner warns

Ahead of an upcoming national debate on the potential legalisation of marijuana, a number of professionals in the field used a conference on drug abuse to voice their concerns at the government’s proposal.

Chief amongst the critics was assistant police commissioner Dennis Theuma, the superintendent in charge of the police force’s vice squad, who warned that legalising marijuana risks harming society.

“What will be the legal limit for marijuana when driving or when going to work?” he questioned. “Will people be allowed to smoke weed at home with their children? What barriers will there be?

“Legalising marijuana will have huge, huge issues on society, and unless there’s a very clear line of demarcation on how people should use it, then we shouldn’t go there.

“We’re still very far away with this line where alcohol is concerned. When we properly figure out alcohol, then perhaps we can start considering other drugs.”

He said that, from experience, marijuana is often used as a gateway drug to more severe substances and that drug abusers tend to come from troubled families.

Responding to a question from marijuana legalisation activist Andrew Bonello, Theuma said that the police force will not give up its war on drugs and that he will continue yearning for a completely drug-free society.

“We are trying to target drug traffickers and pushers, but sometimes when you cast your net you also catch the small fish,” he said. “Our aim is for a drug-free society. Some may say that I’m dreaming, but it costs nothing to dream.

“I have been working in the sector for 14 years and I have seen first-hand the harm drugs have caused people and their families. You think that we should stop fighting the war on drugs because we cannot win it, but I consider that a defeatist attitude.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has come out in favour of legalising recreational marijuana and said that he wants to start a consultation process before the end of the year.

However, few people at today’s conference – organised by the OASI Foundation and the Floriana, Naxxar and Mosta local councils – appeared to be in favour, with the audience often clapping every time someone spoke against legalising marijuana.

The crowd was particularly enthusiastic when a recovering drug addict, who chose to remain anonymous, stood up to recount his addiction story.

“First I started smoking, then I moved on to alcohol and later on to weed, and then I started going to parties and began experimenting with other drugs,” he said. “After that came the financial problems, the violence, the fights with my family…

“Every addict can tell you that they had started off from just smoking weed.”

He was quickly challenged by Andrew Bonello, who helps run the Facebook group ‘Legalise it, Malta’.

“I have been taking marijuana for years and I never touched other serious drugs, and indeed the majority of cannabis users don’t progress onto harder drugs,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be better to have a regulated system where people know exactly what type of drugs they’re taking.”

He added that no one has overdosed on cannabis unlike alcohol, although this statement was challenged by clinical toxologist Robert Chircop who said that people have died after smoking marijuana.

Justice commissioner: ‘Need to distinguish between recreational and problematic users’

Justice commissioner Victoria Scicluna said that a distinction needs to be made between recreational and problematic users of marijuana.

“Since the new law [of 2015] came into place, people caught with small quantities of weed are no longer charged in court but are interrogated by the police,” she said. “This is important, because the police interrogation is likely to counter the fun the user would have had by smoking.”

In her role as commissioner, Scicluna has been tasked with hearing cases of people who have been caught with small quantities of drugs and has the power to administer fines of up to €100 for cannabis users and up to €125 for other drug users.

She said that she has no problem if recreational users want to continue smoking, but that the government should tread carefully before changing Malta’s drug laws for their sake.

“You are not empirical proof, you are just a personal story,” she told Bonello.

Fr Hillary Tagliaferro: ‘Legalising weed will open door for other drugs’

Fr. Hillary Tagliaferro, the founder of the Millennium Chapel that offers help to drug addicts, sounded a particularly strong warning against legalising marijuana, warning that such a move will open the doors for the legalisation of harder drugs.

“Legalising marijuana will change the culture. People will start thinking ‘u ejja, it’s just weed’ one day and then start trivialising cocaine and heroin the next. There’s no doubt that that’s what will happen…it might take some time, but that’s what will happen.”

Tagliaferro called on people “who believe in human dignity” to help reverse the modern trend of drug liberalisation, also arguing that marijuana is a common gateway drug.

“If we encourage teenagers to take weed whenever they want, then we will have to hold ourselves responsible for the damage we would inflict on society,” he said. “This culture of ‘everything goes’ must be fought.”