WATCH | ‘Impossible’ to not recognise the smell of cannabis, Rosianne Cutajar says on new law

Government MP Rosianne Cutajar said “it is impossible to not recognise the smell of marijuana,” contradicting what Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà has said about the impracticality of enforcing the fine on people causing a nuisance with cannabis odour.

She was interview on TVM’s Xtra on Monday evening, and was asked on recently introduced amendments to cannabis laws which saw the introduction of fines for people who cause an odour nuisance when smoking.

Speaking on the legal amendment, Xtra host Saviour Balzan told Cutajar how the government seemes reactive to public outcry, instead of thinking through legislation.  

Cutajar replied saying the fine will not affect those who consume cannabis responsibly, and protects people who do not want to consume the substance.

She said that there was a lot of discussion prior to the legal amendment, and the new fine will be used as a tool to deal with the inconvenience created people smoking cannabis where it is not permitted by law.

Labour Party President Alex Sciberras agreed with Cutajar saying there are already laws against other nuances such as noise, and so enforcing the new regulation would not be challenging.

Asked on the legal amendment, Opposition MP Ryan Callus said if legislation is not implemented properly, it cannot be enforced properly.

He did skirt around questioning by Balzan on whether he agreed with the law or not.

Euthanasia debate

Labour President Sciberras also discussed the ongoing euthanasia public consultation.

He said the debate was long overdue and the public consultation was not launched with the agenda to disrupt the PN. The party hasn’t made their stance on the topic public.

Drawing on personal experience, Sciberras insisted patients would have the final say on whether to go through with the process, saying palliative care should be discussed separately.

Opposition MP Ryan Callus did not agree with the PL President, saying experts in the field have insisted palliative care should be discussed in tandem with euthanasia.

Opposition MP Rebekah Borg said empathy should be central to discussing euthanasia.

When pressed by Balzan about the Nationalist Party’s stance on the public consultation, she said internal discussions are ongoing on the topic.

That is when Rosianne Cutajar took a jab at the PN, saying she is not surprised the Opposition does not have a clear position on the topic. She said empathy is not enough for someone suffering with a terminal illness. “They deserve the choice to end their suffering.”

Għargħur conundrum

On the ousting of the former Nationalist Għargħur mayor Helen Gauci, Opposition MPs said move was an attack on democracy.

Sciberras on the other hand said the PN is “protesting against a law which they wrote.”

He blamed the PN for allowing the situation to develop enough for a councillor to step down, as her “genuine concerns were not being heard”.

Rebekah Borg said this is not an issue of leadership, but once again a question of democracy.

Borg also spoke about Daniel Attard and the ongoing corruption investigation by Belgian police. She insisted he was not the one who requested his parliamentary immunity be waivered, but the Belgian police.

Rosianne Cutajar jumped to Attard’s defence, saying the PN was not so concerned with ethics when EP President Roberta Metsola didn’t declare her husband’s financial interests and employed her sister’s husband as cabinet secretary.  

Cutajar said “the rules are for everyone except Metsola.” The government MP also questioned the Nationalist MPs if when Opposition leader Bernard Grech visited China had met with any representatives from Huawei.