Cannabis law

The cannabis law states that cannabis can only be smoked inside a property. Yet, it can also be smoked on an open balcony.

Two apartments close to where I live are rented to foreign young people. They repeatedly smoke cannabis together on their open balcony, puffing it out into a street full of high apartment blocks.

Cannabis can also be smoked on open balconies. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The street is also not so wide, so the smell lingers on and is so acute that we neighbours have to keep our apertures closed.

However, the smell still penetrates our homes and also our parked cars.

Reports have been made to the police by several neighbours but everyone was told that the police cannot do anything as the smokers are in their property.

Even after complaining that, though they’re smoking on their balcony, they’re contaminating a public street and nearby private residences, the police’s reply is always the same – they cannot order them to smoke indoors and no law is being broken.

Is this law fair on us residents who live nearby, our children, our elderly and the rest of the people living in the same apartment block?

Monica Cilia – Balzan

Rabat route buses

Local passengers travelling to Rabat on the 50s routes are experiencing a lot of frustration due to the infrequent buses. And when these buses reach various bus stops, they are already overloaded.

These buses leave the bus terminal at Valletta with passengers occupying all seats plus a number of standing passengers.

This is mainly due to the numerous low-budget tourists, who spend their holiday on a shoe string. Obviously, they use the cheaper mode of transport, that is the local buses. When their destination is Mdina they fill up the buses to the local residents’ dismay.

To compound the issue, the low-paid migrants also make use of these buses.

The drivers try to pack as many passengers as possible onto the bus and everyone is squeezed like sardines. In the good old days of the charabancs only eight persons were allowed standing.

Some of the buses have only one door and if an emergency occurs it will be a recipe for disaster. Inspectors are conspicuous by their absence.

The obvious solution is to increase the number of buses. Is it possible that no one is responsible to monitor the number of passengers on this route?

Victor Farrugia – Attard