Law, society and cannabis : different views on legislation from the Maltese general public

Abstract

Cannabis-related legislation has been amended internationally by a number of countries and states. These amendments have allowed the law in these countries to become, to different degrees, more tolerant on cannabis users. However, the subject is highly debatable, as different individuals have completely different views related to cannabis use, with people condemning it at one end of the spectrum and others think it should be legalised at the other end. The aim of this research is to evaluate whether the majority of the Maltese population agrees with the current Maltese cannabis-related legislation or not, and if not, in what way does the general public think that the law should be amended. The method used to gather this information was through the distribution of a questionnaire through the Internet and its social networks. The questionnaire was designed in a way as to gather percentages from the population sample to determine opinions on the current legislation and on decriminalisation and legalisation approaches. The questionnaire findings indicate that the majority of the population sample opposes the present court sentences handed down for cannabis use, and dealing and for cultivating it for personal use. The study suggests that court sentences for cannabis use and cannabis cultivating should be more lenient. Those for cannabis dealing are, in fact, lenient. The results also show that there was support for decriminalising and legalising cannabis use in private properties. Nevertheless, it was clear that these legislative approaches were opposed to use in public places. However, the majority of the population sample did not oppose cannabis use if consumed in a strictly regulated environment, in properties, which admit the public. Furthermore, a majority of respondents agreed that cannabis use should be allowed for medical use.