Posted by & filed under News, Press Releases.

We would like to draw the attention of all the media that as of this morning, 14 December at 10am, we have not received any reply to our letter to Hon. Joe Mizzi and the members of the petitions committee of Parliament to close the petition proposing amendments to the cannabis law so that they can be discussed by the committee.

According to paragraph 6.1 of the parliamentary committee's guidelines on petitions: "When an online petition is created, it will automatically be open for signature for a period of sixty days. In the event of a wish to shorten or extend this period, a request shall be made to the Committee on Petitions."

According to clause 7.2 the Committee may decide to call on the petitioner to appear before the Committee. It may also request that the petitioner make a brief presentation and / or answer any questions from Members of the same Committee. A petitioner summoned to appear before the Committee may request to be assisted by another person, who may intervene only with the permission of the Committee.

Through a letter sent to Hon. Mizzi, the organizations called for the implementation of clauses 6.1 and 7.2 of the guidelines in order to close the petition so that it could be discussed by the committee. In this way, the petition could be discussed before the third reading of the law. It is clear that the Government will ignore this request and pass the law in  a rushed manner and without any real consultation with the many stakeholders who have spoken out.

By the time the signatures were collected, in just 5 days more than 9375 citizens had signed a petition to parliament to amend Bill 241. Psychiatrists, doctors, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, constituted bodies, NGOs that working in the field of prevention and treatment and many other organizations proposed  their amendments to Government which did not accept a single amendment and decided to only listen to one pro-cannabis association.

If this law is passed, it will have very serious consequences for the mental health of many young people and adults and will promote a culture of drug use. While all organizations are in favour of decriminalizing cannabis users, they disagree with normalizing the use of cannabis. This law is being presented as a progressive law for our country but it will have very negative consequences for the wellbeing of the Maltese and Gozitan people.

  1. Caritas Malta
  2. OASI Foundation
  3. Malta Employers’ Association (MEA)
  4. Malta Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  5. Medical Association of Malta (MAM)
  6. Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN)
  7. Malta Chamber of Pharmacists
  8. Gozo Business Chamber
  9. Malta Association of Social Workers
  10. Malta Association of Psychiatry
  11. Secretariat for Catholic Education (SfCE)
  12. Church Schools’ Association
  13. Gozo Tourism Association
  14. Richmond Foundation
  15. MAPA MALTA
  16. International Schools Association
  17. Catholic Voices
  18. Zghazagh Azzjoni Kattolika ZAK
  19. Azzjoni Kattolika
  20. Malta Girl Guides
  21. Home Away from Home
  22. National Foster Care Association Malta
  23. National Parents Society for Persons with Disability
  24. St Jeanne Antide Foundation
  25. Paolo Freire Institute
  26. Millennium Chapel
  27. SOS Malta
  28. Dar Merhba Bik
  29. Youth Alive Foundation
  30. Social Assistance Secretariat
  31. Kummissjoni Djocesana Djakonija
  32. Dar tal-Providenza
  33. Society St Vincent De Paule
  34. Church Homes for the Elderly
  35. Ufficcju Hidma Pastorali mal-Persuni Separati
  36. Mater Dei and Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre Chaplains
  37. RISE Foundation
  38. Dar Hosea
  39. Peace and Good Foundation
  40. Migrants Commission
  41. Kummissjoni Gustizzja u Paci
  42. Osanna Pia Foundation
  43. Fondazzjoni Sebħ
  44. Life Network Foundation
  45. Karl Vella Foundation
  46. Malta CAN (Children’s Associations Network)
  47. National Association of Pensioners
  48. H.E. President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
  49. Professor Andrew Azzopardi, Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
  50. Dr Claire Azzopardi Lane, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
  51. Dr Colin Calleja, Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
  52. Dr Michelle Attard Tonna, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
  53. Dr Sandra Scicluna, Head, Department of Criminology, Faculty for Social Wellbeing UoM
  54. Georgina Debattista, Visiting Senior Lecturer, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, UoM
  55. Max Cassar, Department of Psychology, UoM
  56. Angela Caruana - Children's Rights Activist

 

Press Coverage:


Nixtiequ niġbdu l-attenzjoni tal-mezzi tax-xandir kollha li sa dalgħodu, 14 ta’ Diċembru fl-10am għadna ma rċevejna l-ebda risposta għall-ittra tagħna lill-Onorevoli Joe Mizzi u l-membri tal-kumitat tal-petizzjonijiet tal-parlament biex tingħalaq il-petizzjoni li qed tipproponi emendi fil-ligi tal-Cannabis u tiġi diskussa mill-kumitat.

Skont in-numru 6.1 tal-linji gwida tal-kumitat parlamentari dwar il-petizzjonijiiet:“Meta tiġi kkreata petizzjoni online, b’mod awtomatiku din tkun miftuħa għall-firem għall-perjodu ta’ sittin ġurnata. F’każ li wieħed ikun jixtieq iqassar jew itawwal dan il-perjodu, għandha ssir talba lill-Kumitat dwar il-Petizzjonijiet”.

Skont klawżola 7.2 Il-Kumitat jista’ jiddeċiedi li jsejjaħ lill-petizzjonant biex jidher quddiem il-Kumitat. Jista’ wkoll jitlob li l-petizzjonant jagħmel preżentazzjoni fil-qosor u/jew iwieġeb xi domandi tal-Membri tal-istess Kumitat. Petizzjonant li jiġi mgħajjat biex jidher quddiem il-Kumitat jista’ jitlob li jkun assistit minn persuna oħra, liema persuna tista’ tintervjeni biss bil-permess tal-Kumitat.

Permezz ta’ ittra mibgħuta lill-Onor Mizzi, l-għaqdiet talbu li jiġu implimentati  klawżoli 6.1 u 7.2 tal-linji gwida biex tingħalaq il-petizzjoni u tiġi diskussa mill-Kumitat. Dan biex il-petizzjoni tiġi diskussa qabel ma’ jsir it-Tielet Qari tal-liġi. Jidher ċar li l-Gvern se jinjora din it-talba u jgħaddi il-liġi b’mod mgħaġġel u mingħajr l-ebda konsultazzjoni reali mal-ħafna stakeholders li semmgħu leħinhom.

Sakemm baqgħu jinġabru il-firem, f’ħamest ijiem biss iktar minn 9375 ċittadin iffirmaw il-petizzjoni lill-parlament biex isiru emendi għall-abbozz ta’ Liġi 241. Psikjatri, tobba, infermiera, social workers, farmaċisti, korpi kostitwiti, NGOs li jaħdmu fil-qasam tal-prevenzjoni u l-kura u bosta għaqdiet oħra għaddew l-emendi tagħhom lill-Gvern li baqa’ m’aċċetta l-ebda emenda waħda u ddeċieda li jisma’ primarjament minn għaqda waħda li hija r-Relief.

Jekk tgħaddi kif inhi din il-Liġi se jkollha konsegwenzi serji ħafna fuq is-saħħa mentali ta’ ħafna żgħażagħ u adulti u se tippromwovi kultura tal-konsum tad-droga. L-organizzazzjonijiet kollha huma favur id-dekriminilizzazzjoni tal-persuni li jikkonsmaw il-Cannabis. Din il-liġi qed tiġi ppreżentati bħala liġi progressista għal pajjiżna imma se tħalli konsegwenzi negattivi ħafna għall-wellbeing tal-poplu Malti u Għawdxi.  

  1. Caritas Malta
  2. OASI Foundation
  3. Malta Employers’ Association (MEA)
  4. Malta Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  5. Medical Association of Malta (MAM)
  6. Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN)
  7. Malta Chamber of Pharmacists
  8. Gozo Business Chamber
  9. Malta Association of Social Workers
  10. Malta Association of Psychiatry
  11. Secretariat for Catholic Education (SfCE)
  12. Church Schools’ Association
  13. Gozo Tourism Association
  14. Richmond Foundation
  15. MAPA MALTA
  16. International Schools Association
  17. Catholic Voices
  18. Zghazagh Azzjoni Kattolika ZAK
  19. Azzjoni Kattolika
  20. Malta Girl Guides
  21. Home Away from Home
  22. National Foster Care Association Malta
  23. National Parents Society for Persons with Disability
  24. St Jeanne Antide Foundation
  25. Paolo Freire Institute
  26. Millennium Chapel
  27. SOS Malta
  28. Dar Merhba Bik
  29. Youth Alive Foundation
  30. Social Assistance Secretariat
  31. Kummissjoni Djocesana Djakonija
  32. Dar tal-Providenza
  33. Society St Vincent De Paule
  34. Church Homes for the Elderly
  35. Ufficcju Hidma Pastorali mal-Persuni Separati
  36. Mater Dei and Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre Chaplains
  37. RISE Foundation
  38. Dar Hosea
  39. Peace and Good Foundation
  40. Migrants Commission
  41. Kummissjoni Gustizzja u Paci
  42. Osanna Pia Foundation
  43. Fondazzjoni Sebħ
  44. Life Network Foundation
  45. Karl Vella Foundation
  46. Malta CAN (Children’s Associations Network)
  47. National Association of Pensioners
  48. H.E. President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
  49. Professor Andrew Azzopardi, Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
  50. Dr Claire Azzopardi Lane, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
  51. Dr Colin Calleja, Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
  52. Dr Michelle Attard Tonna, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
  53. Dr Sandra Scicluna, Head, Department of Criminology, Faculty for Social Wellbeing UoM
  54. Georgina Debattista, Visiting Senior Lecturer, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, UoM
  55. Max Cassar, Department of Psychology, UoM
  56. Angela Caruana - Children's Rights Activist