Is the new Drug Reform Law (2016) on the personal use of Cannabis in Malta a stepping stone to eventual legalisation?

Abstract

This study sets out the question whether the Drug Reform Law (2016) in Malta is going to pave the way to the legalisation of cannabis for personal use. Answers given in an online questionnaire distributed among young University students related to the benefit and harm that may result from cannabis taken for personal use are analysed and evaluated in light of local and overseas literature. The questions are mostly close ended but the final one enabled respondents to explain their views in more detail in order to provide further insights. A general evaluation produced a very interesting and holistic picture. The majority of respondents considered the current criminalisation of cannabis for personal use as more harmful than beneficial, and proposed rehabilitative remedy instead of law proceedings as the appropriate solution. Hence, they favour the legalisation of cannabis for personal use and a new just, effective and intelligent rehabilitative system for those who use it.