Malta May Legalize Home Cannabis Cultivation

Cultivating cannabis is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding forms of gardening. Whereas some crops can take weeks or even months to show some growth, the cannabis plant grows fairly quickly.

It’s almost as if every day there are new leaves, and eventually, new buds on cannabis plants, which any seasoned cultivator will be quick to point out.

That near-daily gratification makes the cannabis plant one of the most fun crops to cultivate, especially considering that the plant is absolutely beautiful when in full bloom.

Harvesting cannabis and drying it out to be consumed is also an obvious benefit. The truly savvy cannabis consumer can also infuse their harvests into all types of things, from edibles to topicals.

Unfortunately, cannabis cultivation for adult use is prohibited on a national level in all but two countries, Uruguay and Canada. Although that could change soon in Malta.

White Paper on Cannabis Reform

Recently the Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, unveiled a white paper dedicated to cannabis policy reform recommendations.

Arguably the most notable inclusion in the recommendations was a provision to allow households in Malta to cultivate up to 4 plants at home.

The plants would be prohibited from being sold, and the harvests would have to stay in the same location where they were cultivated.

It’s a far more limited version of adult-use legalization compared to Uruguay and Canada, however, it would still be significant.

The white paper also recommended doubling the amount of decriminalized personal cannabis possession (away from a garden site) from the current 3.5 grams to 7 grams.

When Will Recommendations Become Law in Malta?

Unfortunately for cannabis enthusiasts in Malta, the white paper recommendations are not binding.

The recommendations are simply recommendations. While some of the provisions are likely to become law sooner rather than later, there’s still a lot of details to be worked out before any reforms are implemented.

The Prime Minister of Malta made it clear that more advice is needed regarding the more granular details of implementation.

With that being said, Malta is moving in the right direction. More reform will certainly be needed. However, if Malta implements legalized home cultivation in the near future, it will instantly become a more cannabis-friendly place than a vast majority of the world.