Psychiatrists today said they feel cheated by lawmakers who disregarded any consultation on mental health issues before enacting the cannabis law.

Suggestions made in the run up to the passing of the cannabis bill “fell on deaf ears”, the Malta Association of Psychiatrists said.

“In effect, the law does and will decriminalize cannabis use - a change we welcome. However multiple and varied calls to address mental health consequences of cannabis legalization for some were blatantly ignored,” the association said.

The MAP feels cheated and disenfranchised with the way lawmakers disregarded any consultation by the experts in the field and went ahead with passing a law, lock stock and barrel with no thought or consideration of the mental health of the nation. Also, the lack of planning and commitment to tackling the consequences is frankly frightening and irresponsible, MAP said.

While we recognize that for the majority of people, smoking cannabis is inconsequential, for a few it can have devastating consequences, such as anxiety, depression and psychotic disorders. We implore that lawmakers, policy makers and ministers are fully prepared to assist those that do.

Therefore MAP insists that:

1.            A budget is ringfenced for health education and prevention and accurate regularization of use.

2.            A well-funded campaign is started to focus on the health of the nation, with a big push towards the promotion of regular sports, arts and music in schools and government funded facilities. The effect of these campaigns have been seen to yield results in reducing substance use in countries where this has been previously tried such as Iceland.

3.            Evidence based measures are put into place capping the limit of THC in cannabis as well as the THC/CBD ratios, to reduce the risks of cannabis induced psychosis in users.

4.            The law is amended to increased minimum age from 18years to 25 years. This, considering the risks cannabis poses to the developing brain. Further strategic thought is to be placed into the risks of younger adolescents still resorting to using the black market to source their cannabis.

5.            A budget is allocated to mental health to address the increase in cannabis induced mental disorders or consequences.

6.            A hypothetical tax is introduced whereby every X% profit earned from cannabis is reinvested in mental health services or physical health facilities to promote a healthy lifestyle.

The advice from MAP is to choose healthier coping strategies to manage your stress, and most importantly to avoid using cannabis if suffering from mental health problems, the association said.