Medical Marijuana: A Critical Analysis

Foreword ELSA, the European Law Students’ Association, aside from being a human rights organisation also seeks to be at the forefront of all legal discussions especially when it comes to controversial topics with contrasting opinions. In fact, ELSA’s main purpose is “to contribute to legal education, to foster mutual understanding and to promote social responsibility of law students and young lawyers”.

ELSA Malta strives to promote this vision of ELSA in all its projects and in order to do this, it publishes a number of research and policy papers. These papers are done not only to promote this vision of ELSA but also in order to be an active part of the discussion on certain pressing legal and human rights issues. In light of the current ongoing local debate on the use medical marijuana in the Maltese Islands, ELSA Malta’s social policy team is proud to present ELSA Malta’s research papers titled ‘Medical Marijuana: A Critical Analysis’. The aim of this research paper is to explore the various aspects associated with Medical Marijuana in Malta ranging from the licencing to the actual use of medical marijuana through medical prescription.

The paper will also touch upon the contrasts which exist between medical marijuana licences in different countries around the world. The scope of all this is to achieve a holistic understanding of all that is associated with medical marijuana in Malta as well as identifying the current issues or shortcomings which are faced at the local level such as pricing and inadequate stock while identifying possible solutions and reform.

This project would not have been possible without the many hours of work and dedication of a highly dedicated group of people, to whom I would like to express my personal gratitude to.

First and foremost, I would like to especially thank Sarah Xuereb and Philip Ellul, ELSA Malta’s current Director for Social Policy and her predecessor respectively, for taking on such a bold project and for seeing that it was completed successfully. I would also like to thank Ms. Alexandra Gaglione, Ms. Julia Aquilina, Ms. Kristina Apap Gatt, Ms. Marie Georgette Spiteri, Ms. Martina Micallef, Mr. Raoul Ciappara and Ms. Rebecca Galea for their invaluable assistance to the writing of the paper itself. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Matthew Booker and Dr. Simon Corrieri for taking the time to carefully review the research paper and for giving us feedback and guidance accordingly. Lastly, I would like to thank Kelly Jade Galea and Brittany Wells, ELSA Malta’s Vice President for Marketing and Director for Public Relations respectively, for the design of the paper.

On behalf of ELSA Malta, we hope that you enjoy reading our paper, take the time to think about the subject at hand and to evaluate our suggestions, and lastly to follow us and support us in our aim – to always be proactive!