Citizens should not be frightened by paranoia about cannabis regulation, the ADPD has said, in a broadside at the Nationalist Party and its opposition to plans to introduce reformed laws for the drug.
The Green Party said it welcomed the parliamentary debate on cannabis regulation and noted that many of the measures being proposed had first been raised by ADPD many years ago, though it also flagged the government’s failure to make its research into the proposal public.
The ADPD was however extremely critical of the PN, which declined to contribute to a public consultation about the proposed new law but came out strongly against it earlier this month, saying it would “normalise” cannabis use.
“Studies have shown that it is the war on drug users, standardised across the board, that has completely failed and destroyed the lives of those whom it was meant to help,” ADPD general secretary Ralph Cassar said.
“The PN is hiding behind the usual smokescreen of ‘more studies’, when in reality these have been already carried out and shown how the moral panic on cannabis has done more harm than good.
“PN (and its allies) are still using fear to continue persecuting those who are capable to make their own decisions, without being labelled as criminals, in the courts and sometimes even ending up in prison,” Cassar added.
The cannabis reform bill would allow users to carry up to 7g of the drug on them in public without fear of prosecution, buy cannabis from specially set up associations and grow up to four plants in a concealed space at home. Smoking cannabis in public will remain prohibited.
The bill is currently at the second reading stage in parliament.
The proposals have been criticised by the PN, a raft of Church voluntary organisations as well as some lobby groups, which have argued that the plan is an electoral ploy for votes that is being rushed into law.
ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo also said he hoped discussion would be able to take place “free from electoral time frames”. But he also noted that lobby groups’ concerns about cannabis misuse at the workplace also applied to alcohol and pharmaceutical abuse.
The party said that it was in favour of a “pragmatic” model for cannabis users, with resources previously dedicated to policing its use instead invested in community services.
“While the use of cannabis other than for medical reasons should not be normalised, the regulation of cannabis – which is different than other substances – makes more sense than the panic and control of thousands that use it,” the party said.