The cannabis authority and the University of Malta have joined forces to carry out research in a move that aims to compare the dangers of legal and illegal cannabis.

In a statement on Thursday, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Reforms said the Authority Responsible for the Use of Cannabis (ARUC) had signed an agreement with UoM to carry out research on cannabis.

The authority and the university’s chemistry department plan to study pesticides and “substances” found in legal and illegal cannabis by next October, with legal samples from cannabis associations and illegal samples held by the courts due to be tested.

The tests aim to scientifically demonstrate how the dangers of controlled – legally grown – cannabis and illegal offerings vary, Reforms Junior Minister Rebecca Buttigieg said.

University rector Alfred Vella said it was important the institution's resources be used to benefit the public good, in this case to assure the standards of legal cannabis, while ARUC chairperson Joey Reno Vella said the agreement would leave the authority in a better position to carry out its work.

In December 2021, a law was passed through parliament that allowed adults to carry up to seven grams of cannabis and to cultivate cannabis plants for personal use, while opening the door for the introduction of cannabis clubs.

The first cannabis association opened its doors in January last year.

In December, a Eurobarometer survey found that support for banning cannabis had increased since the law regulating it was introduced, however, with nearly half (46%) the population believing in prohibiting the drug – an eight-percentage point increase compared to 2021 before the law was introduced.