Following the decriminalisation of cannabis, the government is now seeking to start a debate on the erasure of conduct sheets tarnished with simple drug possession convictions, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Thursday.

He said that in line with Labour’s electoral manifesto, the government believes a person should be given the opportunity to start a new life because it was not fair for a person to carry a label for life.

For this reason, it will kick off a debate with entities that run drug rehabilitation programs on the possibility that people who have their conduct tainted with simple drug possession, whether cannabis or any other drug, will have the opportunity to review their conduct sheet.

Abela was speaking during the final part of the second "State of the Nation" conference, organised by President George Vella, aimed at giving a snapshot of Maltese society.

Abela said he was proud of the country’s advancements in recent years, but lamented that there was still too much resistance to changes the country needs to make. He mentioned as examples the introduction of civil rights and changes to the drug laws on cannabis use.

“We need to move away from a society that condemns you for life for a one-off mistake… We are a nation that cares and we are not indifferent to people’s troubles,” he said.

He stressed that the government was keeping the citizen at the centre of its decisions, particularly in addressing the effects of the cost of living brought about by the war in Ukraine. The government cushioned the increase in the cost of energy as well as those of cereals, among others.

He said the country still had to address situations of an impasse on the appointment of people who require a two-thirds majority, such as the next Chief Justice, in cases where the government and the opposition did not agree on a nominee.

The matter was also addressed by President Vella who stressed the need for an “anti-deadlock mechanism” so that the process is not brought to a halt. He was speaking in the context of a proposal that the chairman of the Broadcasting Authority is chosen by a two-thirds majority in Parliament and not just by consultation.

On Constitutional reform, a process that came to a halt during the pandemic, the President explained that the next step is to agree on a person who enjoyed the trust of the government and the opposition to be able to lead the Constitutional Convention.

Opposition leader Bernard Grech. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Addressing the conference, Opposition leader Bernard Grech referred to the survey which found that a substantial number of people said they were worse off than last year and said “this cannot be ignored”.

He said the cost of living was eating away at people’s quality of life and forcing people to change their lifestyles. “We need to strengthen the middle class again to improve people’s quality of life with work-life balance,” he said.  

He said that following the country’s greylisting, there must be commitment from all parties to rebuild the reputation Malta had lost and to continue to promote Malta as a centre of excellence.