Malta and other European countries that are widening their cannabis policies should invest in monitoring and evaluation to fully understand the impact on public health and safety, according to the European Drug Report for 2023.
The report, issued by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA), consists of the latest overview of the drug situation in Europe by looking at data from 2021 to explore key trends and emerging threats.
Some products sold on the illicit market as natural cannabis may be adulterated with potent synthetic cannabinoids, creating risks of poisoning- EU report
Cannabis remained the most commonly used drug in Europe in 2021, with around eight per cent (22.6 million) of European adults estimated to have used cannabis “in the last year”.
In December 2021, Malta legislated for home growing and cannabis use in private, alongside non-profit communal growing clubs, for recreational purposes.
The report noted that Germany and Luxembourg are planning to permit home growing. The Netherlands is piloting a model for a closed cannabis supply chain for cannabis coffee shops and Czechia has also announced plans for a regulated and taxed distribution system.
Public health challenges
In addition, non-EU Switzerland has started to authorise pilot trials of sales or other distribution systems for specific residents within certain cities.
“Regardless of the nature of any policy change in this area, an assessment of its impact will be dependent on the existence of good baseline data to provide a basis for ongoing monitoring and evaluation,” the report said.
In Malta, this data will be kept by the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) which is currently processing applications to issue licences for cannabis clubs that will be the only legal way to purchase cannabis and which will have to keep records of members. Licences have yet to be issued.
The report stressed that new cannabis products are posing public health challenges.
“Some products sold on the illicit market as natural cannabis may be adulterated with potent synthetic cannabinoids, creating risks of poisoning. And high-potency extracts and edibles have been associated with acute poisoning presentations in hospital emergency departments,” the report said.
Drug seizures between 2018 and 2022.Rise of synthethic drugs
The report described a rise in synthetic drugs across Europe that spanned all drug types.
In 2021, a record 303 tonnes of cocaine were seized by EU member states. Malta also saw a record seizure of almost 3,000 kilos that year.
Malta too has an ageing heroin addict population- Anton Grech, chairman, Mental Health Services
As for heroin use, Malta followed the EU trends. Heroin use remained stable in 2021 compared with previous years. The report noted that it is estimated that 0.33 per cent of the EU population, around one million people, used opioids in 2021.
“Heroin remains Europe’s most commonly used illicit opioid and is also the drug responsible for a large share of the health burden attributed to illicit drug consumption,” the report said, adding that there was also growing concern about the use of synthetic opioids in some areas.
New uncontrolled synthetic opioids continue to appear on the European drug market, with a total of 74 identified since 2009. The report said that heroin users were an ageing population.
Reacting to the report, Anton Grech, clinical chairman of Mental Health Services, agreed that monitoring Malta’s new cannabis policy is important.
“Cannabis, even though decriminalised in 2021, remains a drug and has to be treated as such as it can have adverse health impacts,” he said.
He said that cannabis and cocaine remain the main “drugs of choice” in the country and that new synthetic drugs, which “come with risks to mental health”, are also emerging.
“Malta too has an ageing heroin addict population, with younger people opting more for drugs such as cocaine,” he said.