Cannabis education in Malta

Placing human rights and public health at the helm of this mock policy framework, this joint collaboration endeavours to be a leading game changer that paves the way for a more humane and evidence-based approach to the promotion of the health, well-being and security of Maltese society. The provisions included in this policy place human rights and public health at the helm of every decision and revolve around three pressing issues and accompanying set of actions: 1) Decriminalise the consumption, cultivation and sharing of cannabis and reduce the monopoly of the illicit cannabis market 2) Assurance of quality tested cannabis at the MIRRC and seed to consumer trail (S2C) for Cannabis Social Clubs 3) Targeted harm reduction outreach and better data collection about local trends and practices established through the creation of members only not-for-profit Cannabis Social Clubs (CSC)

Cannabis is one of the most widely used illicit drugs around the world. It has been used for centuries as a medicine, for religious practices and for recreational purposes. Nonetheless, cannabis and cannabis users have been greatly persecuted and incarcerated in the 20th and 21st Century. If cannabis has been available for centuries, why was it singled out as a destructive force? Why did the international community include Cannabis within the same category of other highly addictive drugs such as heroin and cocaine? This analysis seeks to understand the relationship between cannabis use and the gateway hypothesis, and uses ongoing debates in Malta as contextual background

2018

This study aimed to give a practitioners perspective on whether recreational cannabis use leads to drug dependency and if services are in place for problematic cannabis use and their efficiency in engaging users in such drug treatment services in Malta. This is also taken in light of the current debate in Malta; where medical cannabis has now been legalised and the debate for recreational cannabis use is said to be underway. Through thematic analysis and semi-structured interviews from participants who work in such treatment services with drug dependent/recreational cannabis users, the researcher was able to collect rich data on the current situation in Malta when it comes to recreational/problematic cannabis use. Participants highlight concerns with cannabis use in terms of dependency/addiction and associated health risks of consuming cannabis. It was also noted that treatment is available for problematic use, however, it also greatly depends on the willingness of the individual involved. Participants also believe that the lack of education on illicit substances, including cannabis, leads to many opinions, but few informed debates/decisions, which impairs both progress in research and debating between ourselves. The youth were also central to practitioners’ comments, with most calling for the protection of this age-group, noting their preference for synthetic cannabis.

Journal of Addiction & Prevention, 2014

Aims: To conduct a pilot project exploring how treatment providers understood the increasing demand of people presenting to services with cannabis-related problems and how they responded to the demand for this type of treatment in the absence of an up to date evidencebase. Methods: A knowledge exchange event involving treatment providers (n30) from one region in the United Kingdom supplemented by qualitative interviews (n8) and focus groupswith drug treatment staff (n5) was conducted. A thematic analysis of this material was then conducted. Findings: Five distinct themes emerged. First, numerous routes were identified into services for problematic cannabis users. Second, access to treatment for some groups is an issue. Third, the type of treatment offered varies considerably within and across services. Fourth, cannabis use was viewed as benign by many staff and clients with noticeable variations of risk. Finally, there is an acknowledgment that there is an evolving connoisseurship associated with contemporary cannabis use whereby the client has increasing expertise in relation to contemporary cannabis consumption that has yet to fully filter through to the practice of treatment providers. Conclusions: There appears to be a gap between treatment demand and evidence-based treatment for cannabis-related problems, so that while the trend in treatment demand continues to rise the translation of the evidence base into practise for effective treatment strategies has not kept pace with this demand.

Canadian Journal of Public Health, 2019

Cannabis is now legal in Canada, yet important questions remain regarding how the provinces and territories are approaching cannabis education and messaging aimed at youth. Although widespread education and awareness campaigns are long considered cornerstones of substance use and related harm prevention, there is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of such campaigns. We continue to see examples of cannabis-related messaging that focus on risk and harm and often adopt a narrow view of the ways in which young people may use cannabis. This traditional risk-based messaging does not resonate with how many youth experience cannabis use. We have further observed that most provinces and territories have yet to fully reveal concrete details regarding what they are and have been planning in terms of youth engagement in the development and delivery of educational initiatives. As Canadian youth desire reliable, evidence-based educational material on cannabis, and can be credible key partners in the development of such materials, we hope that all levels of government will see the value of promoting balanced cannabis discussions and co-designing resources with youth. Résumé Le cannabis est maintenant légal au Canada, mais d'importantes questions subsistent quant à la façon dont les provinces et les territoires abordent la sensibilisation au cannabis et les messages adressés aux jeunes. Les vastes campagnes de sensibilisation et d'information sont depuis longtemps considérées comme les fondements de la prévention des méfaits associés à la consommation de substances, mais les preuves de l'efficacité de ces campagnes sont limitées. Nous continuons de trouver des exemples de messages sur le cannabis qui mettent l'accent sur le risque et les méfaits et qui adoptent souvent une vision étroite de la consommation du cannabis par les jeunes. Les messages classiques, axés sur le risque, ne collent pas à l'expérience de consommation de cannabis de nombreux jeunes. Nous observons aussi que les provinces et les territoires n'ont pour la plupart pas encore dévoilé dans le détail ce qu'ils ont planifié (ou sont en train de planifier) pour favoriser la participation des jeunes à l'élaboration et à la diffusion des initiatives de sensibilisation. Les jeunes Canadiens veulent du matériel pédagogique fiable et factuel sur le cannabis et peuvent être des partenaires crédibles dans la préparation de ce matériel; nous espérons donc que tous les ordres de gouvernement verront l'utilité de promouvoir un débat équilibré sur le cannabis et qu'ils concevront des ressources en collaboration avec les jeunes.

Health Education, 2008

BMJ Open, 2020

IntroductionHigh rates of cannabis consumption among emerging adults in Canada represent an important public health issue. As part of the legalisation of cannabis, health objectives were established by the Government of Canada including reducing risky patterns of consumption and cannabis related harm among vulnerable populations. Despite these ambitions, few evidenced based education programmes have been evaluated in the literature. The aim of this study is to describe and evaluate the acceptability of a novel harm reduction and education initiative titled, UCalgary’s Cannabis Café. The Cannabis Café incorporates components shown to be effective in reducing risky substance consumption on campuses and substance related stigma. An important objective of the Café is the dissemination of methods to reduce risk in the form of Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines.Methods and analysisThe study will take the form of a non-experimental, observational cohort design, where participants ...