Malta’s cannabis authority has released the requirements for anyone interested in starting their own legal cannabis club on the island after a rocky 2022.
The specifics of what the government anticipates from potential association owners—who would need to operate inside a non-profit framework—have finally been made public with the application process commencing on February 28.
Although this was a “pioneering” legislative action, Reforms Junior Minister Rebecca Buttigieg and Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis Leonid McKay noted that “mistakes” can be expected on such a fresh front. They also emphasised that this was the first legal framework of its sort in Europe.
If you wish to start your own cannabis association in Malta, follow these steps.
- Applying will cost at least €1,000, and once accepted, a person will be interviewed before getting the go-ahead for the real setup.
- From seed to sale, each organisation will be in charge of the whole cannabis supply chain. Clubs are not allowed to purchase cannabis from a third party or another organisation; they must produce their own.
- Each club must specify where its club will be located as well as the location of its grow area.
- Grow fields must be kept inside a building, such as a greenhouse, as they cannot be visible to the general public.
- Specific requirements, including a ventilation system and a specific CCTV system, will be required for fields.
- Any issued license is good for 12 months.
- The application costs will contribute a portion to damage reduction.
- Two founders are required for every organisation, and they don’t have to be Maltese. However, the club’s administrators must have lived in Malta for at least five years.
- All clubs may be located in residential areas, but they must be 250 meters away from youth centres and schools.
- Cannabis cannot be advertised in any way on signs, and club names like Happy Cannabis Smoke Malta may be disallowed for promotional reasons if they contain any type of promotional word.
- Tax will be paid on profits, and discussions with the VAT commissioner to determine whether cannabis will be subject to VAT are still ongoing.
- There will be no price cap, so clubs should try to sell their cannabis for less than the criminal market.
- Additionally, there won’t be any THC caps.
- The maximum amount of cannabis that any club may possess on its property is 500g; the limit will depend on the number of members each club has, with the ceiling rising as the number of members rises.
- A person may only be a member of one club at a time, and each club may have up to 500 members.
- Additionally, clubs may sell cannabis-related items like grinders and provide drinks but not alcoholic beverages.
- Pre-rolled joints won’t be offered for sale.
- The European Union and other authorised regions are places where seeds can be purchased. There is no restriction on how many seeds can be bought.
- If you already have a field that is being used for something, you can apply to the Ministry of Agriculture to alter its use to cannabis cultivation.
Anyone who violates any of the aforementioned guidelines will receive written warnings before the club’s license is suspended or revoked and its cannabis goods are seized in accordance with the law.