{"id":51737,"date":"2021-12-14T07:30:38","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T15:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/12\/14\/malta-lawmakers-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill-with-presidents-signature-expected-soon\/"},"modified":"2021-12-14T13:45:53","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T21:45:53","slug":"malta-lawmakers-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill-with-presidents-signature-expected-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/12\/14\/malta-lawmakers-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill-with-presidents-signature-expected-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"Malta Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill, With President\u2019s Signature Expected Soon"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Malta\u2019s Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to legalize marijuana<\/a>, setting the country up as the first in Europe to enact the reform as soon as the measure is formally signed into law\u2014which is expected within days.<\/p>\n

Under the legislation sponsored by MP Owen Bonnici, adults 18 and older will be allowed to possess up to seven grams of cannabis and cultivate up to four plants for personal use. Up to 50 grams of homegrown marijuana could be stored at home.<\/p>\n

While there wouldn\u2019t be a commercial market per se, non-profit cooperatives would be able to cultivate marijuana and distribute it to members.<\/p>\n

Possession of more than seven grams but less than 28 grams by an adult would be punishable by a \u20ac50 to \u20ac100 fine without the threat of jail time or a criminal record. Minors who are found in possession of cannabis would be referred to a commission for justice for a \u201ccare plan,\u201d rather than face arrest.<\/p>\n

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And the ayes have it!<\/p>\n

The #Cannabis<\/a> reform bill has just been approved at third reading stage. <\/p>\n

We are the change makers.<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u2022Owen Bonnici (@OwenBonnici) December 14, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Cannabis clubs that would be authorized under the bill could have as many as 500 members and would be limited to distributing seven grams per day to each member, with a maximum of 50 grams per month. They could also distribute up to 20 cannabis seeds per member each month.<\/p>\n

The legislation itself says its purpose is aimed at \u201callowing for a balance between individual freedom in the limited and responsible personal use of cannabis and other social requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

The vote to approve the bill<\/a> was 36-27, and President George Vella of the Labour party is expected to sign it into law by this weekend.<\/p>\n

While there was debate among lawmakers about whether to set a THC limit on marijuana products, they ultimately decided against the notion because \u201cyou will be creating a new market for the black market,\u201d Bonnici, who serves as the government\u2019s minister for equality, research and innovation, said. \u201cWhat we need to do is to educate people and inform them day after day.\u201d<\/p>\n

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@MaltaGov<\/a> has #reformed<\/a> the #laws<\/a> which regulate the use of cannabis to avoid treating its users as criminals. We are not encouraging use, rather we are recognising the realities of our society and legislating responsibly. \u2013 RA<\/p>\n

\u2014 Robert Abela (@RobertAbela_MT) December 14, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Malta\u2019s opposition National Party attempted to get Parliament\u2019s Petition Committee to hold a hearing after submitting a series of complaints about the legalization proposal, but the panel\u2019s chairman\u00a0rejected<\/a>\u00a0that request last week.<\/p>\n

The opposition party\u2019s leader has\u00a0argued<\/a>\u00a0that the Labour Party government\u2019s bill is an attempt to shore up votes by advancing the popular policy.<\/p>\n

Malta, the smallest member nation of the European Union, stands to beat out several other countries in the region where legalization could soon be enacted.<\/p>\n

The leaders of Germany\u2019s new coalition government parties announced late last month that\u00a0they have a formal agreement to legalize cannabis<\/a>\u00a0and promote broader drug policy harm reduction measures when they take power.<\/p>\n

In neighboring Luxembourg, the ministers of justice and homeland security\u00a0unveiled a legalization proposal in October<\/a>. It will still require a vote in the Parliament but is expected to pass. For now, the country is focusing on legalization within a home setting. Parliament is expected to vote on the proposal in early 2022, and the ruling parties are friendly to the reform.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Italian voters may get a chance this spring to vote on a\u00a0referendum to legalize personal possession and home cultivation of cannabis<\/a>\u00a0as well as psilocybin mushrooms.<\/p>\n

Over in the U.S., there are several competing legalization bills moving through Congress. A reform bill\u00a0cleared the House Judiciary Committee<\/a>\u00a0in September. Another is being\u00a0finalized by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)<\/a>\u00a0and colleagues. And Republican lawmakers\u00a0also introduced a legalization bill last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A draft bill to legalize and regulate marijuana sales in Mexico\u00a0is being circulated among senators<\/a>, with top lawmakers saying the intent is to vote soon.<\/p>\n

Canada and Uruguay have already legalized recreational cannabis.<\/p>\n

\n

St. Louis Mayor Signs Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana Possession And Cultivation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Malta Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill, With President\u2019s Signature Expected Soon<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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Malta\u2019s Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to legalize marijuana, setting the country up as the first in Europe to enact the reform as soon as the measure is formally signed into law\u2014which is expected within days. Under the legislation sponsored by MP Owen Bonnici, adults 18 and older willContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51737"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51737"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51738,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51737\/revisions\/51738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}