Editorial: No grass without the roots
The Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis recently held a conference where it outlined the rules for social clubs and the sale of home-grown cannabis. The conference signalled the authority’s intention to move forward after a lull of almost a year, culminating in the removal of Mariella Dimech from her post as executive chairperson. While news that cannabis social clubs – termed “Harm Reduction” clubs in an apparent nod to civil society – will be able to register for licences as from the end of this month, doubts have been raised as to whether the guidelines laid out by the authority will follow the spirit in which the law was written. The primary aim was to decriminalise cannabis – against the objections of several NGOs. But now that the law has been enacted, the new regime must live up to another of its aims. This is to introduce a socially just model that avoids commercialisation. In creating a safe environment for cannabis users, the clubs to be formed under the new regulations are meant to follow a non-profit model. However, reports from the conference say it did little to allay fears of business pouncing onto a new market. Many of those who took part seemed to have...