Malta Approves Three New Cannabis Cultivation Associations

In a significant development, Malta's cannabis regulator has granted licenses to three additional Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations (CHRA), bringing the total number of approved associations to five.

Sprawt, Northern Lights, and NEGE are now authorized to proceed with cannabis distribution to their members, pending approval of their products by the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC). They join KDD Society and Ta’ Zelli, the country's first two ‘in-principle' licensees, granted official approval two months after receiving initial approval in August.

In conjunction with the issuance of new licenses, ARUC has conducted Malta's first ‘harm reduction training' sessions for licensees and in-principle associations on November 28th and 29th, marking a crucial step forward in the island nation's pioneering cannabis liberalization scheme.

As the nation moves forward, plans for a new adult-use cannabis cultivation facility on a 55,300sq ft agricultural land stretch in Gozo have been proposed, with the ‘Project Development Statement' (PSD) currently under review. The proposal does not specify which CHRA put it forward, and it is pending vetting and public consultation before approval.

Despite these advancements, Malta's cannabis industry advocates for changes to the existing legal framework. Presently, Maltese citizens are allowed to cultivate four cannabis plants at home, but the possession cap is set at 50g. Releaf Malta is urging an increase in this cap to 400g, arguing that the current limit places responsible home cultivators at risk of trafficking allegations and severe legal consequences. This call for change echoes recent developments in Germany, where possession limits were raised to 50g to reflect the realistic yield of three homegrown plants. Andrew Bonello of Releaf Malta is spearheading the call for a more realistic possession limit, aligning with achievable yields through personal home cultivation.