Malta's first cannabis club has begun distributing the drug to its members, the authority overseeing the sector has announced.

KDD Society, which was given an operating licence in October 2023, has passed all mandatory laboratory tests, the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) said on Tuesday. 

Officially called 'Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations', the clubs are the only way people can buy the drug legally since Malta became the first EU Member State to legalise the use of the drug.

The authority said its tests ensured that cannabis cultivated and distributed by the clubs were "free from unwanted contaminants" and reminded the public that legal cannabis should be distributed in containers with the ARUC label.

These included a 'Phytocannabinoid Profile', which is a test for the cannabinoid content and potency.  The authority also tested the drug for micro-organism analyte, bacteria, yeast and mold count, mycotoxins, trace / heavy metal analyte, water activity and moisture content and filth and foreign Material.

The authority said it was “pleased” that one year on from rules for clubs being established, a registered association had begun operating “in a highly regulated manner based on a public health and harm reduction approach."

Referring to the association by its registration number CHRA 002, the authority said it had passed all mandatory laboratory tests and reminded social media users that legal cannabis should be distributed in containers with an ARUC label and seal.

To join and buy cannabis in Malta, you must be a Maltese resident. 

The news comes three months after KDD society and another association were granted a license to operate, allowing them to legally grow and sell cannabis.

In an interview with Times of Malta a few days after the announcement, KDD society president Kenneth Ellul said it had been a “stressful” application process.

There are currently six associations registered to grow and sell cannabis in Malta, according to the ARUC website.