The legalisation of recreational marijuana could possibly increase the black market activity of other drugs, according to Caritas drug expert Anthony Gatt.
A national discussion on the legalisation of the drug for recreational use was a pledge made in the Labour Party pre-electoral manifesto in the last general elections. The Nationalist Party had agreed to the debate, if it is to be grounded on scientific evidence. On Monday evening, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat confirmed that the subject is on the government’s agenda, saying it is high time that the country “holds a mature discussion on marijuana”.
Gatt, a drug expert at Caritas, Malta’s NGO focused on drug rehabilitation, told The Malta Independent that although the illegal selling of marijuana may indeed be controlled , the drug traffickers may seek to find businesses by selling other drugs, if the former goes off the black market.
“Reducing the black market and gaining money through taxation have been put forward as arguments for legalisation. The argument of controlling and reducing the black market of cannabis might hold if legalised. However, as per The Netherland’s experience, drug traffickers, like other business enterprises, want to maintain their profit bottom-lines,” he said. “Legalisation of Cannabis might give rise to increased black market activity of drugs like heroin and cocaine.”
“With regard to the economic argument, traffickers are not excited about the legalisation of cannabis and any other drug. They fear suffering losses,” Gatt said. “Like in every business-model, traffickers will diversify to make up for lost revenue of cannabis. As a result, taking a section of the cannabis business off the hands of the black market may lead to increased trafficking of other substances so that traffickers can uphold their bottom lines. This trend was observed in The Netherlands. The rise in the illegal trafficking requires demand of customers. It is envisaged that this might happen both if cannabis use decreases with legislation as well as if it increases. Pushers will keep pushing,” he stated.
This concern is part of Gatt’s, and Caritas’ belief that legalising cannabis for recreational use will be more harmful than beneficial for our communities.
“While it is sure that the country will generate revenue from such activity, this will come with a grave cost on our community, families and youth,” he said, arguing that Caritas has “countless testimonies, more than thirty years of experience in the field and a sound base of scientific arguments and lessons learned from other countries to conclude that facilitating the use or sale of cannabis will have serious detrimental effects on our communities.”
Negative effects of marijuana
Gatt went on to list the ill-effects of marijuana. “Like other legal or illegal drugs, active ingredients with the cannabis plant, namely THC, infiltrate the brain causing its effects amongst which are very damaging,” he said, going on to list a “range of ill-effects”, including:
· Those who have a genetic loading to develop psychotic disorders like schizophrenia may have psychosis triggered by the use of cannabis.
· It may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s
· Active ingredients of cannabis effects neurocognitive functioning. It impairs executive functioning of the brain including emotional regulation; impulse control; problem solving and planning.
· Those who already have limited cognitive capacity or impaired cognitive capacity may be harmed further, resulting in severe impairment.
· The drug is a mood-altering substance and the person ingesting it will not be aware whether it will cause depression/anxiety or psychosis in him or her.
· Cannabis, like all drugs, is especially dangerous to the development of the adolescent brain.
He added that “other sections of the population where cannabis is very dangerous include those who are at risk of developing a full-blown dependence on the drug, or continue on to develop other dependencies.”
“One may argue that not every person who uses cannabis develops substance dependence,” he added. “Indeed, as in alcohol, not everyone who consumes it develops dependence. However, once cannabis is made available legally, it is expected that more persons will be using it and more people will be exposed to its most serious effects.”
He went on to say by looking at “alcohol and tobacco stories,” both psychoactive drugs are available legally and these “substances amount to most death and illness coming from substances. Once a drug is made available legally it will make it accessible to more people.”
‘Cannabis itself is getting stronger’
Gatt claimed that cannabis is getting stronger, meaning it is increasing in its tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) percentage. THC is the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, he explained.
“Referring to cannabis is a soft drug is a simplistic term as the effect of cannabis is highly influenced by the concentration of THC, the quantity used and the frequency,” he said.
“Cannabis with high levels of THC and high levels of use, make cannabis as hard as you can get. Cannabis itself is getting stronger. The stuff puffed by hippies in the 1960s had around 1% of THC. Today’s THC levels can run to over 30%.”
‘Shift in perception seen with decriminalisation of cannabis in 2015’
With the introduction of the decriminalisation of cannabis use in 2015, a shift in perception towards the drug has been observed, according to Gatt. He envisages that the legalisation of cannabis will contribute to increased popularisation of the substance, and further use.
“The legalisation will surely contribute to the further popularisation of the substance,” he said. “It would be giving out the message that the substance is not as dangerous. We envisage that there will be increased use in the adolescent population due to the popularization of the drug. With the introduction of the new laws in Malta on the decriminalization of cannabis in 2015, we have already seen a shift in perception.”
“This law has led to the younger populations perceiving the drug more favourable because drug for personal use has been decriminalised. With the new laws Caritas has seen a reduction of youngsters who would have otherwise self-referred for assistance because they were caught. For the adolescents who currently consider alcohol or cigarette smoking as a rite of passage, they will now have cannabis to look forward to,” he said.
He believes it is likely that a similar trend to alcohol and tobacco will follow if recreational marijuana is legalised. “The trend with cigarettes and alcohol, both legal drugs, has shown that legal substances are widely used. It is very possible that cannabis will follow and, as a result, contribute to more mental health problems,” the drug expert said.
“Tobacco is the top killer of all psychoactive substances, followed by alcohol,” he continued. “In Malta, more than a person a day dies due to an illness caused by cigarette smoking and up to a person every three days dies due to alcohol. Passive smoking (of tobacco) causes more problems than all the drugs.”
He also believes there will be an initial increase “due to the tendency to want to experiment.”
“Substances that are mind-altering are attractive. Tobacco is a stimulant, alcohol is a depressant, and cannabis generally leads to a relaxed feeling initially. Any substance that gives an initial physical psychological or physical reward tends to be used more,” he said.
Whilst Gatt acknowledges that legalisation can have short term economic advantages, he believes that as with alcohol and cigarettes, “this comes with a cost on the population health, mental health (increased admissions to the psychiatric hospitals); human potential (individuals with deteriorated cognitive function) and enforcement costs due to risk in consumption of the cannabis or conversely the rise in use of harder drugs or both.”