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.
- Caritas Malta
- OASI Foundation
- Malta Employers’ Association (MEA)
- Malta Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Medical Association of Malta (MAM)
- Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN)
- Malta Chamber of Pharmacists
- Gozo Business Chamber
- Malta Association of Social Workers
- Malta Association of Psychiatry
- Secretariat for Catholic Education (SfCE)
- Church Schools’ Association
- Gozo Tourism Association
- Richmond Foundation
- MAPA MALTA
- International Schools Association
- Catholic Voices
- Zghazagh Azzjoni Kattolika ZAK
- Azzjoni Kattolika
- Malta Girl Guides
- Home Away from Home
- National Foster Care Association Malta
- National Parents Society for Persons with Disability
- St Jeanne Antide Foundation
- Paolo Freire Institute
- Millennium Chapel
- SOS Malta
- Dar Merhba Bik
- Youth Alive Foundation
- Social Assistance Secretariat
- Kummissjoni Djocesana Djakonija
- Dar tal-Providenza
- Society St Vincent De Paule
- Church Homes for the Elderly
- Ufficcju Hidma Pastorali mal-Persuni Separati
- Mater Dei and Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre Chaplains
- RISE Foundation
- Dar Hosea
- Peace and Good Foundation
- Migrants Commission
- Kummissjoni Gustizzja u Paci
- Osanna Pia Foundation
- Fondazzjoni Sebħ
- Life Network Foundation
- Karl Vella Foundation
- Malta CAN (Children’s Associations Network)
- National Association of Pensioners
- H.E. President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
- Professor Andrew Azzopardi, Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
- Dr Claire Azzopardi Lane, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
- Dr Colin Calleja, Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
- Dr Michelle Attard Tonna, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
- Dr Sandra Scicluna, Head, Department of Criminology, Faculty for Social Wellbeing UoM
- Georgina Debattista, Visiting Senior Lecturer, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, UoM
- Max Cassar, Department of Psychology, UoM
- 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.
- Caritas Malta
- OASI Foundation
- Malta Employers’ Association (MEA)
- Malta Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Medical Association of Malta (MAM)
- Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN)
- Malta Chamber of Pharmacists
- Gozo Business Chamber
- Malta Association of Social Workers
- Malta Association of Psychiatry
- Secretariat for Catholic Education (SfCE)
- Church Schools’ Association
- Gozo Tourism Association
- Richmond Foundation
- MAPA MALTA
- International Schools Association
- Catholic Voices
- Zghazagh Azzjoni Kattolika ZAK
- Azzjoni Kattolika
- Malta Girl Guides
- Home Away from Home
- National Foster Care Association Malta
- National Parents Society for Persons with Disability
- St Jeanne Antide Foundation
- Paolo Freire Institute
- Millennium Chapel
- SOS Malta
- Dar Merhba Bik
- Youth Alive Foundation
- Social Assistance Secretariat
- Kummissjoni Djocesana Djakonija
- Dar tal-Providenza
- Society St Vincent De Paule
- Church Homes for the Elderly
- Ufficcju Hidma Pastorali mal-Persuni Separati
- Mater Dei and Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre Chaplains
- RISE Foundation
- Dar Hosea
- Peace and Good Foundation
- Migrants Commission
- Kummissjoni Gustizzja u Paci
- Osanna Pia Foundation
- Fondazzjoni Sebħ
- Life Network Foundation
- Karl Vella Foundation
- Malta CAN (Children’s Associations Network)
- National Association of Pensioners
- H.E. President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
- Professor Andrew Azzopardi, Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
- Dr Claire Azzopardi Lane, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Wellbeing, UoM
- Dr Colin Calleja, Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
- Dr Michelle Attard Tonna, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Education, UoM
- Dr Sandra Scicluna, Head, Department of Criminology, Faculty for Social Wellbeing UoM
- Georgina Debattista, Visiting Senior Lecturer, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, UoM
- Max Cassar, Department of Psychology, UoM
- Angela Caruana - Children's Rights Activist
