An illegal cannabis-themed cruise has been reported to the police by Malta’s cannabis authority.

The ‘420 Friendly Sunset Boat Cruise’, advertised on the website of local cruise site Visit Blue Lagoon Malta, was reported to the police by the Association for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) yesterday.

For €55, passengers are promised cannabis, bottled water and fruit salad and the “opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals”.

The website describes the ‘trip’ as “friendly and laid back, with music, good vibes  and, of course, plenty of cannabis to be shared”.

According to the law, however, cannabis may only be purchased from licensed associations while smoking in public and sharing cannabis are both banned.

In a statement, ARUC executive chairperson Leonid McKay said the authority “condemns these money-driven opportunists negatively impacting the reform”.

New rules on cannabis were introduced in late 2021 allowing for limited recreational use of the drug.

He went on to warn “that trafficking cannabis... still carries very serious criminal consequences” and that the authority had reported the event to the police. 

“The ARUC distances itself from any profit-driven businesses promising the sale of cannabis or a ‘cannabis friendly space’. These businesses do not fall within the scope of the reform... and have received no training on harm and risk reduction,” he said. 

McKay added that the authority was committed to implementing cannabis reform “in the interest of public health and safety of the community” and appealed to the public to “to be wary of false online promises, and/or businesses”.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Visit Blue Lagoon Malta defended the company’s actions, however, saying it only advertised cruises and that, for more information, the operator should be contacted directly.

When asked for details of the company offering the cruise, the spokesperson refused, instead advising contacting the operator by making a booking enquiry through the website.

Times of Malta attempted to contact the cruise operator yesterday morning but had not received a response by the time of writing.

“We’re just an advertising company,” the spokesperson said, stressing the cruise operator was free to offer cruises “as long as they’re not breaking the law”.

Describing the event as “more of a workshop where they explain the health benefits – and downsides – of smoking cannabis”, including teaching people how to roll joints, he said that, to his knowledge, the cruise operators were only selling cannabis containing CBD or HHC.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis. While oils and other products containing it are legally allowed to be sold, CBD flower is not.

Hexahydrocannabinol, or HHC, meanwhile, despite being psychoactive is not a controlled substance in Malta. Earlier this year, the ARUC expressed “great concern” at its sale.

When asked directly if Visit Blue Lagoon Malta had been informed as to what was being provided to ticket holders, the spokesperson said the company wasn’t provided with details about the type of cannabis.

Responding to McKay’s words about the company promoting a “cannabis friendly space”, the spokesperson replied “I can’t explain everything” but stressed  that the ultimate responsibility lay with the cruise operator.

“If they’re offering a boat tour with a 420 space, to us it’s just a boat tour,” he said, adding the same operator had offered cannabis-themed cruises last year and Visit Blue Lagoon Malta had received no complaints about the event.

The number 420 is a reference to an annual international day celebrating cannabis use, which falls on April 20, expressed in American date format as 4/20.

Do the cruises break the law?

While the advertised cruises are only available to those aged 18 and over ‒ the legal age at which one can join a cannabis association and consume the substance ‒ it is in breach of several rules governing the drug’s use.

According to regulations, cannabis should only be consumed at home, with those doing so in public liable to appear before a justice commissioner and fined up to €235. Sharing or gifting cannabis is also prohibited.

In December, pressure group Releaf Malta called for the repeal of the law governing the sharing of cannabis, calling it “outdated and stigmatising”. The group described it as facilitating the arrest and prosecution of law-abiding citizens.

The advertised cruises may also fall foul of laws prohibiting advertising, though this is not immediately clear; while the law states that cannabis associations may not advertise their services, it does not specifically prohibit other businesses from doing so. 

The new law allowing for legal cannabis consumption has not been without its critics, with both the opposition and drug rehabilitation organisations such as Caritas arguing it will normalise drug abuse.