The small island country of Malta recently took a big step toward becoming one of the European Union’s medical marijuana leaders. Lawmakers in the country just passed a new law that makes medical marijuana in Malta legal. Not only will the new law give people important access to medical marijuana, it’s also promising to give the country an economic boost.
Medical Marijuana in Malta
Maltese lawmakers have been working on a bill to make medical marijuana legal for some time. Now, they recently completed all reviews, amendments, and debates and have officially settled on a new law.
As reported by Malta Today, the new law will make it legal for family doctors to prescribe medical cannabis to patients. From there, patients can request a medical marijuana card, which will be issued by Malta’s Superintendent of Public Health.
After patients have their card and a prescription, they will be able to purchase non-smokable forms of medical marijuana directly from pharmacies.
The law was celebrated by several lawmakers shortly after being passed.
For example, Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer Protection Deo Debattista tweeted:
“Malta has officially legalised medicinal cannabis after recognising the therapeutic benefits of the plant. Proud that we have once again places our citizens’ health and dignity top of the agenda.”
Similarly, the law received support from leading cannabis activist groups. Most notably, the Malta Cannabis Social Club took to Facebook to celebrate the news.
“Medical cannabis has now been legalized and is accessible for patients who need it,” the group wrote.
“All forms of medical cannabis will be available, including the raw plant which can be vaporized or brewed in tea.”
Limits of the Law
While many celebrated the law as a step forward, there were