The legalisation of the recreational use of marijuana will give the be giving the go ahead for young people and the population in general to abuse the substance, in spite of its negative effects, Noel Xerri from the OASI Foundation has told The Malta Independent.
Xerri clarified that OASI did agree with the use of medicinal marijuana.
"Morphine and other opioids," he explained, "are used in medical situations."
The recreational use of marijuana, Xerri said, was a step too far and that its legalisation would send a negative message to the country.
Early on in the election campaign, both the Labour Party and Nationalist Party announced plans to begin a national discussion on the use of recreational marijuana.
Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms Julia Farrugia Portelli will be overseeing the national debate.
In comments given to the media earlier this week, OASI director Fr Emmanuel Cordina said that the legalisation of marijuana was an act of betrayal as it was the State's duty to safeguard individuals.
Xerri said that OASI believed that the subject at hand should not be sensationalised just because it is popular. People need to have access to all the information in the field."
"You also have to examine the issue not from the perspective of a young person who is currently experimenting, but as an adult."
"We cannot negate that the abuse of substances has become widespread, we cannot forget about that. People do not realise this but the use of cocaine has become regular; at parties, weddings, engagements. It is common, and we cannot get the actual figures, as people will never admit to it."
Decriminalisation
He went on to say that while OASI did agree with decriminalisation, he felt that there were aspects of the legislation that became too liberal.
"I think it has sent a message to young people across the islands to use cannabis more freely."
"We are not saying that someone who abuses marijuana needs to go to prison, but we feel that the individuals should at least to be made to have an appointment with a drugs counsellor."
"The current fines for being caught in possession of marijuana are 50e. That is the same amount you would get if you threw your cigarette butt on the floor."
"They're both wrong, but they are not crimes on the same level."
He did say that there still issues in Maltese law when it came to trafficking. He said there are too many cases of people who get charged with trafficking when they would have shared marijuana with their friends.
"This is going too far; these are just friends, not drug traffickers. When you are at a bar, don't you offer your friend a drink, or a friend a cigarette?"
He also said there were issues with regards to possession.
"The law says that having one plant is possession, but I think it needs to be more reasonable, wouldn't it be clear that if he held two or maybe three when it is for personal use."
Xerri said that OASI had intended to begin discussing the issue last June, but refrained due to the general election as he felt it would make the issue politically charged, this was postponed to 5 July
Should marijuana be treated like alcohol and tobacco?
Proponents of the legalisation of marijuana have argued that the government should endow people with the same responsibility given to tobacco and alcohol use, which they claim is much more harmful to the individual.
"The situation is that nicotine is bad and gained widespread use prior to the knowledge of its effects. The government puts enormous pressure for people to stop smoking, or at least reduce the amount, through taxes and campaigns; and the same is done with regards to alcohol."
"There is also the argument that the use will drop if it is made legal, but once cannabis is produced on a leisure basis by production companies, the use will probably increase."
"People also say that it would stop drug dealers, but contraband will still take place, like with cigarettes and alcohol."
"When the nature of something is bad, and can do something bad to you, we feel we should not let it become widespread use. There is always going to be negative effects like with cigarettes and alcohol."
"At the end of the day, when you legalise recreational use, you are effectively saying that is good for you, that's how I interpret it."
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