Quitting heroin is easier than quitting tobacco for some people because of the additional barrier of illegality, according to Caritas, which believes legalising recreational cannabis would do more harm than good.
The NGO is concerned that unverified claims about its health benefits only make cannabis more appealing and raises expectations.
Caritas director Anthony Gatt. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli“When it comes to medicinal cannabis, we have to be careful what message we pass on. In Malta there is no clear definition of what conditions it should be prescribed for, and we have crossed paths with people who believe it will solve all their problems,” director Anthony Gatt told the Times of Malta.
Mr Gatt said there have been people who swapped conventional medicine prescribed for pain management with medicinal cannabis. However, the latter had no effect and their health actually regressed.
Read: Medical professionals oppose cannabis legalisation
Caritas, which has not objected to medicinal cannabis to treat specific conditions, has been approached by concerned parents who feel at a loss when confronted by health benefit claims from their children.
Mr Gatt said the NGO was insisting that passing on messages that cannabis was not a dangerous drug in this manner did more harm than good, especially among young people.
Read: Cannabis legalisation movement condemns 'harmful' comments by academic
There was unanimous agreement among all stakeholders that exposure to cannabis was damaging for young adolescent minds.
While no government would consider legalising it for adolescents, downplaying the harms and risks by removing sanctions, only made it more enticing for children.
“Creating a favourable attitude towards cannabis will encourage more people to take up the substance – this is just what happened with alcohol and tobacco, which are nowadays the most commonly consumed substances in Malta,” he added.
Read: Legalising cannabis for 'harm reduction' is not the answer - academic
While not everyone developed a dependency, there were those who were more vulnerable than others, such as people recovering from some other dependency and those with a genetic predisposition of developing mental health issues like psychosis.
Mr Gatt, who has been working in the substance abuse sector for 20 years, acknowledged that there were people who would not develop a dependency.
Caritas recognises the benefit of legalising it for those who are not dependent, as they would not have to deal with the black market and they would know exactly what they are consuming.
“However, the State has an interest in the general well-being of the population, and hence its campaigns in favour of wearing seatbelts in cars, the risks of smoking and the dangers of drink-driving. The State is obliged to take care of public health,” Mr Gatt noted.
This is where the issue of common good came in, he said. It did not mean that because someone could consume it in moderation, others were capable of doing so.
“There are people who enjoy cigarettes and alcohol in moderation, but the impact of the two substances on society is big. For example, a considerable percentage of cancers are caused by alcohol and tobacco,” he said.