Medical organisations on Thursday welcomed the proposed decriminalisation of cannabis and applauded the government’s commitment to direct users to treatment rather than criminal justice.
But their endorsement also included a list of warnings about regular use of the drug.
According to the proposed reform, cannabis users will be allowed to grow their own plants at home and legally carry up to seven grams of the drug for personal use.
In a position paper, the Maltese Association of Psychiatry (MAP) warned that early regular use is associated with symptoms of psychosis and bipolar disorder in younger people.
It noted that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance among Maltese youths and it said it can affect brain maturation in a negative way.
Mater Dei hospital has been forced to open up a third COVID-19 intensive care unit, bringing the total number of ITUs to five as healthcare workers grapple with the influx of infected patients needing critical care.
It comes after the Association of Anaethetists warned, in a statement backed by 12 medical professional groups, that Malta s intensive care resources could be completely exhausted within days, if not hours .
Times of Malta can confirm the unit started to be used on Tuesday afternoon, with sources saying this had been expected since the number of critical patients continued to spike in recent days. This was one of the direct impacts of the rise in cases in the community.