Malta has now legalised the recreational use of cannabis in a move that could be good news for Albania drug traffickers linked to narcotics activity on the island.
The EU member state is now the first in the bloc to legalise the use and growing of marijuana for recreational purposes. The decision to change the law comes after Malta had some of the most restrictive cannabis laws, levying long prison terms for simple possession.
Maltese minister for equality, research, and innovation Owen Bonnici told the New York Times, “It’s groundbreaking”, adding that Malta could be a model for harm reduction.
People in Malta can now carry up to seven grams of the drug, grow up to four plants in an apartment, and have a maximum of 50 grams of dried marijuana at home.
Not only will cannabis be legal, but those who were convicted under the previous law can apply to have their records wiped.
The drug will be available in non-profit shops with a limit of seven grams a day or 50 grams a month per person.
While Maltese stakeholders behind the campaign say it can reduce criminal involvement in the drug trade, others are unsure. Most of the marijuana in Malta today comes from Albania through Sicily. The money is laundered either back to Albania or abroad and is often used to support criminal activities such as human trafficking.
Albania has long been one of the top producers of cannabis. Crops are cultivated in mountainous regions from Tropoje to Nivica and everywhere in between. While the government has cracked down on the practice, significant amounts of the drug are exported every year. Furthermore, Albanian criminals have exported their operations to other countries, setting up cannabis farms in houses and warehouses all over Europe.
At the start of December, the Italian authorities busted a central Italy-Maltese drug trafficking ring. Much of the cannabis and cocaine in Malta and Italy came from Albania.
A few days prior, 12 suspects were arrested in Sicily on suspicion of trafficking drugs from Albania to Italy to send them to Malta.
In August, Albanian and Montenegrin organised crime gangs were arrested for involvement in smuggling drugs and fuel between Malta and Libya. The US froze the assets of many of those suspected of being involved and started investigating police and local officials.
Also, in June, 37 members of an organised crime group were arrested in Italy for internationally trafficking cocaine, cannabis, and hash worth more than EUR 40 million. The drugs originated in Albania, involving Albanian and Italian officials.
These incidences are just the tip of the iceberg.
The legalisation of possession will make distributing the drug much easier, once it reaches Maltese shores, with fewer questions asked by authorities.
