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Just days after Malta\u2019s Parliament approved a bill to legalize marijuana<\/a>, President George Vella signed the legislation into law on Saturday.<\/p>\n This makes Malta the first European country to enact the reform.<\/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 as many as four plants for personal use. Up to 50 grams of homegrown marijuana can be stored at home.<\/p>\n While there won\u2019t be a commercial market per se, non-profit cooperatives will 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 will 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 will be referred to a commission for justice for a \u201ccare plan,\u201d rather than face arrest.<\/p>\n Cannabis clubs that are authorized under the law can have as many as 500 members and will be limited to distributing seven grams per day to each member, with a maximum of 50 grams per month. They can also distribute up to 20 cannabis seeds per member each month.<\/p>\n \u201cThe entry into force of this robust legislative framework underlines this government\u2019s willingness to make bold decisions by implementing wise and unprecedented reforms in order to bring about change and social justice in the best interests of society as a whole,\u201d Bonnici said<\/a> in a press release.\u200b<\/p>\n New legislation on the responsible use of #cannabis<\/a> enters into force.<\/p>\n Here is why we are doing this \u2014 \u2022Owen Bonnici (@OwenBonnici) December 18, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n In a speech to lawmakers on Friday, Vella reacted to opposition party calls for him to block the legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cTo date, the president does not have the power to ignore a law that was passed democratically by Parliament, whether he agrees with it or not, unless he has such a serious moral objection that he prefers to pack up and go home rather than sign that law\u201d, he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe head of state cannot capriciously create a constitutional crisis and cause instability,\u201d he added<\/a>. \u201cThere is nothing in our Constitution that gives the president the final say on a law, otherwise we will create a dictator who decides what becomes law at a whim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Tuesday\u2019s vote to approve the bill<\/a> was 36-27.<\/p>\n The legislation 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 A government notice<\/a> on the new law\u2019s enactment says that Bonnici, who serves as the country\u2019s minister for equality, research and innovation, will be responsible for implementing it.<\/p>\n Malta, the smallest member nation of the European Union, has beaten out several other countries in the region where legalization could also 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 Lawmakers Talk Next Steps For Marijuana Banking And Legalization After Reform Blocked By Senate Leader<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Malta Officially Legalizes Marijuana With President\u2019s Signature, Becoming First In Europe To End Cannabis Prohibition<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Just days after Malta\u2019s Parliament approved a bill to legalize marijuana, President George Vella signed the legislation into law on Saturday. This makes Malta the first European country to enact the reform. Under the legislation sponsored by MP Owen Bonnici, adults 18 and older will be allowed to possess upContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":51839,"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\/51838"}],"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=51838"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51840,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51838\/revisions\/51840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Malta Officially Legalizes Marijuana With President\u2019s Signature, Becoming First In Europe To End Cannabis Prohibition<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"