Guide Dog Becomes Disoriented From Second-Hand Cannabis Smoke Stirring Debate In Malta

Former Deputy Speaker of Malta's House of Representatives and parliament member Claudette Buttigieg raised concerns about cannabis regulation on Monday when she shared a troubling story about a visually impaired man whose seeing-eye dog became disoriented as a result of second-hand marijuana smoke. As a result, the dog was unable to guide the man back home, writes Times Malta.

What Happened: Buttigieg, a member of the opposition Nationalist Party (PN), used this example as a way of highlighting the loose enforcement of Malta's cannabis laws.

"I met this man last week. He is visually impaired and he told me he was eating out in a restaurant and was close to the venue's smoking area," she told Parliament."It seems that some people were smoking cannabis in the smoking area where they should have only been smoking tobacco. And this man told me his dog was affected. He said he got home thanks to his friends because the dog was not in a position to take him home."

In December 2022, Malta became the first European country to legalize marijuana when  President George Bella signed the legislation into law several days after Parliament approved the measure, which stipulates the possession of between seven and 28 grams of cannabis is punishable by a €50 to €100 fine with no jail time or a criminal record. Minors found in possession of cannabis are referred to a Justice Commission for a “care plan.”

Consuming weed around children is punishable by a €300-€500 fine and smoking weed in public is prohibited.

'Extremely Serious,' Weed Has Been Normalized

Buttigieg and other PN Parliament members say legalization has normalized marijuana, which has led to public consumption, even though it's against the law.

"This is extremely serious, that we do not even have respect for a visually impaired person and his dog, on which he fully depends," she said. "There is no enforcement of the laws we pass here. How come nobody gets caught smoking in public? Is it possible that only we [the Opposition MPs] smell cannabis smoke on the street? Go for a walk in places like Sliema and you will smell it. And I hear this from many people. It has been normalized."

Members of Parliament are considering an amendment to current marijuana law that would set the details on how cannabis can be sold. It would create an Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) to be in charge of fines for breaking the law, among other things.

Others Disagree, Citing Reagan’s War On Drugs Logic

Reform parliamentary secretary Rebecca Buttigieg disagreed, arguing that the opposition is trying to slow down the country’s progress. According to her, some 40,000 people consume weed already, regardless of laws, and the idea behind the reform was to make it as safe as possible. She stressed that cannabis is not legally available to tourists and will therefore not spark drug trafficking. She said it's not true that there is no law enforcement.

"The Opposition continues to speak about cannabis with the same rhetoric of the war on drugs, waged for the first time in the US by President Reagan," she said."But we have known for many years since then that that is an ineffective way of running politics. We need to move forward and look forward at different solutions."

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Gustavo Fring on Unsplash and Harrison Haines on Pexels