Why we must push for a high society

It would appear that the legalisation of marijuana for recreational use is well and truly on the cards.

While I am no particular fan of the Labour government, due in part to the outrageous and rampant corruption that is rife within its ranks, I applaud it for dragging Malta kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Of course, the news that cannabis may be legal in the coming months has got more than a few of the lunatics with their frilly knickers in a twist. They have come crawling out of their caves, knuckles dragging on the floor, protesting that this will be the end of our society. In the blink of an eye, according to them, we shall degenerate into screeching drug addicts roaming the streets raping and pillaging willy-nilly in search of our next fix.

There have also been the usual, predictable protestations from the Church and religious figures, which are adamant that the legalisation of a mere herb will bring down an eternal wrath of fire and brimstone upon us. Of course, they conveniently ignore the fact that cannabis was widely used be- fore, and at the time of Jesus, in the areas he frequented, and various analyses of the scriptures have supported its widespread use. There has also been significant evidence to suggest that an ingredient called kanheh-bosem which was present in the holy anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples, was in fact a cannabis extract – therefore I highly doubt that God, Jesus, or any other deity would really care if it was legal or not.

Of course, thankfully, the church’s influence is waning in Malta as can be seen with the recent and welcome introduction of basic rights such as divorce, the morning-after pill, and marriage equality. One can only hope that this talk of legalising marijuana is not just a ruse of the government purely to gain popularity, and that hopefully, one day soon it will be available to those that need it.

Personally, I did not previously agree with legalising cannabis for recreational use purely because I felt medical marijuana should take precedence. But after doing my research on the situation in Malta regarding medical cannabis, I came to the conclusion that if just medical marijuana was legalised, the ever-prevalent pharmaceutical racket would create a total monopoly on the products. It would get away with charging desperate and chronically ill patients over €500 for something that costs around €50 in the rest of Europe. As it stands now, any product containing hemp or any extract from a cannabis plant is illegal in Malta – that includes clothing, beauty products, and CBD oil. The government has been inexplicably sluggish in addressing this issue, in fact I contacted Owen Bonnici and the Attorney General multiple times with a set of questions and did not even receive as much as an acknowledgement.

Now I am firmly behind the legalisation of cannabis in all its forms. The illegality of the drug is absolutely no deterrent to any man, woman, or teenager who wants to obtain it, and should one be so inclined, one could pick it up as easily as shopping for a nice bottle of wine. Making it legal will allow a massive taboo to be broken meaning that the public, the au- thorities, and healthcare professionals can be educated on its use, the minor dangers, and any side effects that occur. At present, there is a wall of silence and misinformation because it is illegal and no one wants to admit to using it, or inclined to using it.

“But it is dangerous, it is addictive, it is a gateway drug” I hear you cry. No, it most certainly is not and please allow me to alleviate your concerns. Cannabis is not physically addictive, it has never killed anyone, and you cannot realistically overdose on it to the point where it would threaten your life. Let us look at prescription drugs for a moment such as painkillers and sleeping tablets. These products are readily available (even illegally without a prescription at certain pharmacies) and have a combined addiction rate of 35 per cent of users, and a suicide rate of 40 per cent. Let us look at alcohol which has, in the EU alone, over 23 million addicts, and cigarettes which kill over half of their users. Yet these are perfectly legal, accepted, and even promoted and glamorised by our media and society. Cannabis does not have any of these side effects, and let us be honest, when was the last time you read a news report about a herd of stoners rampaging through Paceville beating people up left, right, and centre? Exactly.

Yes, cannabis can trigger schizophrenia if used in excess by teenagers (some of the products on the market are laced with other products and genetically tinkered with beyond recognition), and yes it can cause undesirable side effects for some, but so can alcohol and prescription drugs! The point of legalising it is so that it can be regulated, people know what they are buying, and most importantly, they are educated on how to use it correctly. Cannabis is not a gateway drug either – that myth has been debunked time and time again. The only link is that people who choose to take a soft drug are also more inclined to try harder drugs but one does not lead to the other.

In my mind, civil disobedience is needed to counter the barbaric stupidity of archaic drug laws that deny seriously ill people their medicine of choice. I have come to the realisation that all marijuana use is medicinal and that all users are self-medicating in one way or another – be it to unwind after a long day, to alleviate stress, to reduce period pain, or to help them sleep – and for this reason and this reason alone, it should be legal.

As someone who suffers from a lifelong condition that can be treated with CBD and THC, I welcome this news. It is about time that we allow people to make their own life choices and access treatments that can alleviate their suffering. My advice to those who are against its legalisation is the same as with issues such as divorce, marriage equality, and the MAP – if you don’t like it, don’t do it. It is quite simple really.