The petition to parliament created by Stephen Cachia, Director of Lasallian Education in Malta on behalf of 52 religious-based organisations and schools, comes as a great surprise.

Not so much so for the fact that an educator and head of an esteemed school is choosing to embark on a political crusade, but more so for the number of proposed amendments which are not based on research, aim to increase stigma and discrimination in society, and to add insult to injury, call for a ban on education.   

You do not need to be a PhD candidate in social well-being or education, to logically understand that an educator opposing education, is potentially one of the most dystopian approaches to the well-being of society and the health of our youth.  

We question: How can we, society and parents, rest our mind that tutoring being imparted in these schools is within what is prescribed by the national curricula, including education on ‘taboo’ topics, such as sexual relationships and pleasure?

Does this mean that students attending similar schools are being barred from holistic sexual education, such as how to have safe sex and therefore wear a condom?  

Let’s look at what is being proposed, and how this unresearched agenda could be of great detriment to the well-being of our society, especially young people.  

1. increase the age when consuming cannabis would be made legal through the Bill from 18 to 25;  

Of course, cannabis consumption is generally safer the older you are. But does an increase in the age limit hold any benefits to it? Beyond the legal implications of treating more harmful tobacco and alcohol differently, an increase in the age limit would increase illicit market sales. The higher the age limit, the more people will be driven to the illicit market.  

2. increase the distance of cannabis clubs from schools, youth centres and post-secondary institutions from a mere 250 metres to 1 kilometre;  

The new bill aims for an alternative to the current illicit market. To make this legal alternative work, it is important that adult cannabis users get access to cannabis.

Consider how many schools, youth centres etc. there are in a town, and then imagine how a one-kilometre-circle around each building would reduce the possibilities for creating desired establishments. There would be hardly any space for those.

Rules which ban cannabis growing/use/sales from city centres are not helpful. Nobody is benefitting from cannabis associations in industrial estates. A successful alternative to the illicit market must therefore be more attractive than what it already offers throughout the island.

The invisibility of these associations, through a ban on advertisement and other marketing strategies, would further shield young people from being potentially exposed to anything related to cannabis. 

3. double the fines for smoking cannabis in front of children and in public;  

Fines have to be proportional to the harm inflicted and towards other undesired activities.

While it is understandable why people should not use cannabis in front of children or in the public, fines should not deviate significantly from fines associated with the use of tobacco or alcohol.   

4. remove the possibility allowed in the law for cannabis to be grown in residences adjacent to schools;  

A secured growing operation is of no harm to children or neighbours. Cannabis growing should be treated like any other manufacturing of products with similar low toxicity.

The active ingredient THC has the same acute toxicity class as caffeine according to the European Chemical Agency. If coffee roasting is okay in a residence adjacent to a school, then growing cannabis should be okay too.

In both cases, proper security should be ensured and nuisance by odours must be avoided by sufficient measures.   

 5. regulate the amount of THC allowed in cannabis;  

The THC level of cannabis is not the problem: the transparency is.

Whisky is not in itself more harmful than wine, but it is important that the level of alcohol is communicated to the consumer.

Less experienced consumers might want to use products with lower THC levels. People with a higher desire for THC may want a more potent one - and making it available to them is a form of harm reduction, as they then smoke less material and inhale less harmful combustion byproducts (cf. polyaromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes etc.).

Furthermore, a THC limit would be a gift to the illicit market.

If the bill is about reducing crime and becoming an alternative to illegal cannabis sales, then a THC limit must be discouraged. 

 6. remove the reference to educational campaigns mentioned in the Bill to retain clearly the present situation whereby Government campaigns on drug use focus exclusively on prevention measures explaining the risks of cannabis use.  

When communicating risks, it’s key to be honest. Abstinence-based campaigns, such as “Just Say No” have dramatically failed and even increased risks and use prevalence. The petition is also indirectly comparing drugs such as heroin with cannabis, whilst also downplaying the harms of alcohol.

In times where every young person can extract information from the world wide web for basically every topic, honesty is more key than ever. If only harms are communicated, and particularly if these are massively exaggerated, the government but also parents, schools and other players will lose their important influence on young people for good.

It is possible to be honest and still protect children and young adults. A look into sexual education might help; here an abstinence-based approach also caused more harm (STIs, teenage pregnancy etc.) than good, and the message today, incorporating key principles of harm reduction, is still not “Here are your condoms. Now get out and fornicate!” 

When looking at the requests brought forward by this rushed and ill-advised petition, it seems these organisations, spearheaded by an educator and fomented by well-funded and politically backed NGOs, are more driven by paranoia and hidden political motives, than careful and scientifically sound considerations.

A sober mind and an honest heart are important, especially when it comes to public health, human rights, education and cannabis regulation. 

Andrew Bonello is president of ReLeaf Malta. Fabian Steinmetz is a toxicologist and member of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies' (ENCOD).