Legalizing Cannabis

Legalizing Cannabis

The History of Cannabis

Cannabis is legalized already for medical and /or recreational use in many countries. 

Cannabis is commonly called marijuana, a slang word that originated in Mexico and referred only to the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant. There are three species of the hemp plant: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Humans have used cannabis (marijuana) for hundreds of years for fiber (hemp), seed oils, seed, medical treatment, and recreationally. Cannabis has a long history of spiritual use in India. The plant has its origins as a medical plant thousand of years ago.

The earliest record of cannabis use comes from Taiwan over 10,000 years ago. Today cannabis grows wild and is cultivated in many parts of the world. Breeders have developed hundreds of different strains of cannabis. Cannabis plants have been cultivated in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americans, and Australia throughout history as a source of hard, fiber, seed, and medicine. The spread of Cannabis can be attributed to trade routes by land and sea. Cannabis is widely used by the younger generations as a social drug.

Cannabis is consumed in several forms:

dried flowers or ‘buds’ (marijuana)

pressed resin from flowers and leaves (hashish or hash)

loose resin (kief)

the concentrated resin extracted with a solvent (hash oil).

Cannabis in these forms can be smoked in a joint or through a pipe. It can also be vaporized to produce vapor instead of smoke. Sometimes cannabis is mixed with other herbs and smoked. It can be swallowed when added to cake, cookies, and other foods or brewed into a

tea or other beverage. It can be extracted into alcohol as a tincture and absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth. Moreover, it can be applied to the skin in a salve.

Cannabis leaves and flowers have a resin containing unique chemicals called cannabinoids. There are more than 60 types of cannabinoids, but the best known is commonly called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). It has the most significant psychoactive effect. Concentrations of THC may range widely from plant to plant. 

Cannabis has different effects on different people. It can make one person feel calm and relaxed. It can make another person feel energized and stimulated. And it can make yet another person feels anxious and paranoid. The effects depend on many factors, including:

dosage

strain of cannabis

setting or environment

person’s history of use

person’s biochemistry

person’s mood or mindset

person’s diet.

Cannabis has a long history of medical use in various countries. 

Globally, Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug. Classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, it is a mood-altering drug that affects almost every organ in the body.

Some people use medical cannabis to treat chronic pain, muscle spasticity, anorexia, nausea, and sleep disturbances.

In March 2018, the Maltese legislation approved medical cannabis with prescription, though the legislation did not detail which specific condition would merit the use of cannabis. Various doctors support the usage of medical marijuana in certain cases under the strict control of medical professionals as it is the most effective treatment. Whenever traditional medicine cannot cure patients with severe pain, medical Cannabis can be the most effective pain killer. 

Nevertheless, the use of medical Cannabis must be controlled to avoid possible misdemeanor cases.

Cultivation of cannabis as per Article 2 of Chapter 578 of the Laws of Malta, which caters to the production of cannabis for medicinal or research purposes, business is open to any person who obtains the correct license. However, entities will require to go through a process. They must obtain a letter of intent from Malta Enterprise so the company must be in full compliance with each provision of the ‘Production of Cannabis for Medicinal Use Act, 2018’, as well as any other relevant international obligations.

Once all the bumbledom has been observed, the license holder is entitled to possess, manufacture, provide, ship, sell, deliver, transport, and destroy cannabis within the remits of trade in Malta

Cannabis and Sports 

Cannabis is on the list of prohibited substances in the practice of sport. Cannabis has a long history with sports, and across the globe, many top athletes have, and still do, turn to cannabis to help them focus on the moment, relax, and aid recovery following sports injuries. 

A study conducted in France in 2002 showed that 1,152 sports students used cannabis during their training and sports activities to increase their sportive performance and showed that it was men who were much more likely to incorporate the use of cannabis into their sports activities.1 Another study conducted in 2003 found: ‘As a whole, practicing sports as an elite student‐athlete can be considered as correlated negatively with cigarette, alcohol and cannabis use. Nevertheless, this relationship depends on the kind of sport practiced as well as the level of competition.  Cannabis's popularity among younger generations as a social drug puts cannabis at the top list of compounds detected by anti-doping laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency Worldwide. The lack of control is accentuated by the fact that testing for the substance is only done during competitions. 

Legalizing of Cannabis

There have been many debates all over the world about the legalization of Cannabis versus nonlegalization. It has been used both recreational and medicinally for thousands of years. Nevertheless, there are different opinions regarding legalizing recreational cannabis. Some people believe that legislation on cannabis will create numerous problems both for its users and society in general.  They propose to prohibit it to create additional difficulties for its potential use. As a result, they hope to reduce their consumption and contribute to more peaceful and healthy development. In addition to legalization, Malta has implemented the law of decriminalization.

The widely popular film “Reefer Madness”, released in 1936, fueled parental concern over cannabis use in the United States, the film and culture surrounding it permeated society deeply and portrayed cannabis as a gateway drug to an even more dangerous substance – a stereotype that exists today. 

The main feature of recreational use of cannabis is that it produces a feeling of euphoria with decreased anxiety and increase sociability, which may alleviate the stress generated by competition. Though, it can also produce dysphoric reactions, including severe anxiety and panic disorders. The matter of legalizing cannabis is imperative to developing policy that is based on justice, human rights, and a safe environment for the adult to use good quality cannabis. Law and the public’s perception of cannabis have changed over time. The arena of professional sports highlights the debate on cannabis in society.