The Office of the Commissioner for Children said on Monday that it supports the position that cannabis cultivation and use should remain illegal for minors and very young adults, but also adds that the proposed safeguards might not go far enough.

“The White Paper recognizes that children’s exposure to cannabis may increase as a result of the legal cultivation and use of cannabis by adults living in the same household as children. While the Office supports the proposed safeguards, namely that cannabis cannot be consumed in the presence of minors and that it is stored in places which are inaccessible to minors, it is concerned that the proposed safeguards may not go far enough in protecting children.”

The Office of the Commissioner said that the White Paper is silent on the risk of children inhaling second-hand cannabis smoke, even when the consumption of cannabis does not take place in their presence. “The White Paper does not emphasise the need for cannabis consumers to ensure that they leave no traces of the consumed plant where children can find them. The White Paper fails to provide any detail as to the legal framework for enforcing these safeguards.”

The Office believes that the infringement of these safeguards by the responsible adults should constitute a criminal offence, and that adherence to the same safeguards should be subject to a rigorous regulatory regime administered by the proposed Cannabis Authority that ties the cultivation and use of cannabis to strict conditions regarding exactly where, within the habitation, cannabis can be consumed and stored so as to minimize the risk for children.

“The Office agrees that the proposed legalization of cannabis should be accompanied by a strong drive to educate the public on the safe and responsible use of cannabis. Adults should be educated, among other things, on the importance of weighing the safety, needs and well-being of the children they care for in choosing if and when to consume cannabis.”

Education should also extend to children so that they are aware of the different drugs and their effects on the individual, the office said.

It believes that education and therapy should be at the heart of the State’s response to and treatment of minors who make illicit use of psychotropic drugs. In this respect, the Office agrees with the position taken in the White Paper in favour of the full decriminalisation of cannabis use by minors in that the criminal judicial process has serious and far-reaching ill-effects on children. “The deterrence of children from illicit drug use is best achieved through education. There needs to be more investment in educational and therapeutic drugs-related services that are specific to children.”

The Office calls for a national drug policy accompanied by a strategy with specific provisions for safeguarding minors and very young adults.