Malta legalises cannabis

Malta has become the first EU country to legalise the cultivation and personal use of cannabis.

Adults will be allowed to carry up to seven grams of cannabis, and grow no more than four plants at home.

But smoking it in public or in front of children will be illegal.
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The move by Malta, the EU's smallest member state, is likely to be the first of a number of nations changing their cannabis laws after the UN last year reclassified cannabis to recognise its therapeutic uses.

The Governments of Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland have all announced plans to establish a legally regulated market.

Cannabis is still technically illegal in the Netherlands, which is famous for its cannabis cafes. However there is a tolerance for the drug when it is sold in the coffee shops.

Italy will hold a referendum on the issue next year, while South Africa, Mexico, Jamaica, Portugal and a number of US states already have similar legislation in place.

Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalise cannabis for personal use in 2013, followed by Canada in 2018.

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59660856