Home Affairs minister hints at cannabis legislative changes after arrest of young couple
Home Affairs minister Byron Camilleri has hinted at changes to the law governing cannabis after the arrest of two youths in a hotel room over the weekend.
Camilleri was reacting to the arrest of a couple – a 21-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman – in a hotel room after they were found with a small bag of what is suspected to be cannabis and a half-smoked joint over the weekend.
Those caught in possession of up to 3.5 grams of cannabis for personal use are only subject to a fine, but it still does remain an arrestable offence.
Camilleri said on Facebook that as home affairs minister he needs to see that the police act in accordance with the spirit of the legislative changes made in recent years.
“More so, I am amongst those who believes and will work as a legislator towards changing more laws, even in such a manner that it won’t even be possible for cases such as these to happen”, he said.
On the other hand, he noted that he will not let anyone use a single case to interfere with the work conducted by the police, which has an obligation to investigate any report that comes before it.
He said that the police has been performing very well in recent months in carrying out operations against drug trafficking, which have resulted in some major hauls and other smaller ones.
PN MEP Roberta Metsola also voiced her concern over the arrest, after tweeting: “Are we really
still charging teenagers for smoking a joint in a hotel room?”
Politicians need more humane approach to cannabis users – ReLeaf
NGO ReLeaf, in a statement, said that politicians need to have a more humane approach towards people who use cannabis. It also said that a change in law in this regard is needed.
ReLeaf is a community-based NGO that seeks the regulation of cannabis in Malta through safe and sensible policies.
ReLeaf issued a statement in reaction to the arrest of a couple. “It is encouraging to see that various high level people in local and regional politics are shocked that a Maltese couple has been arrested on Valentine’s day for a few grams of cannabis. Nonetheless, it is these same politicians who continue to deny a change in law and the introduction of a more humane and human rights based approach.”
The organisation called on to the government to change its laws so that people who smoke cannabis for personal use will not be treated like criminals.
“Once more ReLeaf Malta calls on the local Government to address these human rights abuses against people who consume, cultivate and share cannabis.”
The NGO said that it has a meeting organised with the Minister for Home Affairs as well as the Assistant Police Commissioner.
“ReLeaf Malta looks forward to meeting Minister Byron Camilleri and the Assistant Police Commissioner Dennis Theuma to ensure local enforcement agent’s actions are socially aligned to the needs of the community.”
Learning a foreign language is a strong point in Malta’s education system which needs to be sustained, Education Minister Justyne Caruana said.
She was addressing a virtual meeting of the working group for the promotion of foreign languages.
The working group, chaired by Mario Pace, Senior Lecturer of Languages and Humanities Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta, discussed the teaching of foreign languages in tertiary schools and institutions. Representatives of foreign embassies also participated.
Minister Caruana provided a background of Malta where languages are concerned and said that Malta is a country which embraces languages. “We should be proud that we, as a people, are literate in more languages than just Maltese.”
She said that Maltese are natural polyglots, “and that is why over the centuries Malta was indeed at the very centre of civilisation.”
Minister Caruana said that the wish to foster plurilingual and intercultural competences in the Maltese educational system is a response to European linguistic and cultural diversity and an increasing need for mobility and employability. Bilingualism and plurilingualism also entail economic advantages – jobs are more easily available for those who speak several languages, and multilingual companies have a better competitive edge than monolingual ones.
“Learning foreign languages is a must in light of changing educational and labour market demands as well as growing mobility between countries which favour citizens who are able to speak two or more languages.”
Minister Caruana said that the Ministry for Education recognises the importance of linguistic diversity and supports language learning as a lifelong task, essential for economic competitiveness and inclusive societies.
She emphasised that as Minister for Education, she strongly believes in the promotion of foreign languages for various reasons, even for the enhancement of one’s personality and development, “as languages increase communication and also help students be more confident while also opening their minds to new cultures.”
Minister Caruana said that the ministry encourages students not only to learn foreign languages, but to participate in fora and events where languages are celebrated.