Two Church bodies have expressed scepticism about plans to reform cannabis laws and said the idea should be parked until after a general election to avoid it becoming hijacked by “the partisan battle for votes”.
In a position paper issued on Friday, the Secretariat for Catholic Education (SfCE) and the Church Schools’ Association (CSA) said they wanted to see more debate and “extensive research” about the plans.
According to the government’s proposal, cannabis users will be allowed to grow their own plants at home and legally carry up to seven grams of the drug for personal use.
The plans would also see people with convictions for simple cannabis possession have their criminal records wiped clean.
Prime Minister Robert Abela has also said that the government is open to hearing suggestions about how the sale of cannabis and cannabis seeds could be safely regulated. The white paper is open to public consultation until Tuesday.
In their statement, the two church organisations listed seven issues which they said they had with the government’s white paper.
Their objections range from concerns about cannabis causing addiction and leading to the consumption of more dangerous substances, to criticism about the proposals from professionals in the substance abuse sector.
The church groups said that four cannabis plants could yield up to 2kg of cannabis in total, given the right environmental conditions, and said there were no studies into the implications of this.
They argued that the white paper’s reference to educational campaigns was “contradictory” and that its proposal to set up a dedicated cannabis regulatory authority was unclear. Nor did the white paper propose a strategy for reducing substance dependency, they said.
The position paper in full can be read in the pdf link below.
'Unborn children will also be affected'
In another statement, the Malta Unborn Child Movement, the Malta Midwives Association and the National Council of Women said that they opposed the cannabis reform plans, saying that the proposals would make it easier for pregnant women to use toxic substances while pregnant.
“It would be inconceivable for legislators to change the law without considering the impact on the well-being of the unborn child,” they said.
The organisations said that from what is known at present, the consumption of cannabis during pregnancy is associated with a higher incidence of still-births.
They cited research indicating a higher prevalence of low birth weight babies born to mothers who use cannabis during pregnancy as well as other research indicating cannabis use led to delayed development in babies and children.
The organisations said the proposals would lead to the “normalisation” of a substance that “causes physical and mental harm”.
“We have enough legally permissible substances, which are now so deeply embedded in our societies that they cannot just be prohibited. They cause harm and are the source of social and medical problems like addiction. The decision to legalise another substance based on unclear objectives would be unwise, unsafe and an irresponsible move for the well-being of society,” they said.