In what must be one of the biggest own goals in the legal cannabis industry so far, Malta have are planning to ban outdoor growing in the latest developments, reports MaltaToday.
The recent announcement by the Regulatory Authority for Cannabis to ban the outdoor growing of cannabis has highly alarmed activists aligned to ReLeaf Malta.
This decision to keep the process of cultivation inside controlled environments has immediatley faced fierce backlash from activists and growers alike.
Joey Reno Vella, the chief executive of ARUC, said that this prohibition was only done to reduce the risks of pests and environmental variables which are natural in outdoor farming.
Nevertheless, such a rationale has not done much to pacify the cannabis community, who argue that such stringent measures are counterproductive to environmentally sustainable practices.
Environmental Implications and Bureaucratic Hurdles
ReLeaf Malta has come out very vociferously opposed to these new directives, terming them as unnecessary bureaucracy.
Activists suggest that the requirement for indoor growing has driven clubs to produce cannabis in an energy-consuming way, best done through artificial lighting and climate control.
This shift stands in stark contrast to sustainable agricultural practices that champion the use of natural sunlight and organic soil.
Andrew Bonello, president of ReLeaf Malta, observed that there is simply no point in promoting an environmentally friendly industry if at the same time it is strictly regulated and, in fact, drives energy consumption increases higher.
He drew an analogy with the progressive Swiss attitude, whereby cultivating cannabis indoors had been forbidden to foster environmental, soil-based cultivation.
This contrast, stark between the extreme restriction in Malta and the sustainability model implemented in Switzerland, enhances an overall point of the best means towards achieving integrations between current environmental responsibilities and the cultivation of cannabis.
If the Swiss can grow cannabis safely outdoors, why can’t Malta? Which is actually at a much more favourable latitude for such activities.
Economic and Social Dimensions
The ban on cannabis outdoor cultivation is not only an environmental issue but also of economic and social dimensions.
Many small-scale producers are concerned that the increased level of regulation will raise the costs of operations, placing them at a competitive disadvantage. Indoor cultivation requires vastly more expensive facilities with sophisticated climate control, and the cost of lighting is high.
Also, this economic hurdle may restrict new associations from thriving and thus affect the diversity within this market, leaning towards more corporate operations, which may overlook and dismiss significant local talent.
Additionally, it is not very clear how the social aspect underlying cannabis cultivation—namely, the existence of community gardens and shared outdoor spaces—will be handled under these new restrictions.
The community-based nature of cannabis associations can be destroyed as cannabis cultivation becomes an isolated, indoor activity.
Advocating for Policy Amendments
The activists call for a rapid reevaluation of these regulations, which are more of an environmental sustainability problem rather than one of regulatory control.
They further propose that outdoor cultivation be allowed under specified guidelines for the management of pests and environmental factors.
Such a compromise can grant the cultivators their freedom in techniques that best meet their environmental and economic goals.
The Wider Implications for Cannabis Policy
The debate over the outdoor cultivation ban in Malta is but a sign of a larger-debated question that is starting to take place all over the world.
With the progressing legalization movement spreading to more countries and regions, now the question of how to regulate cultivation has become very complex.
It creates a very delicate balance of control with freedom and environmental responsibility with economic viability that a nuanced policy-making process must balance.
Malta serves as a kind of case in point, leading other nations that are struggling with the same issues to come up.
It sets the stage for regulatory frameworks that should be adaptive and responsive to a myriad of varying needs for the cannabis community.
Nurturing Sustainable Cannabis Cultivation
Such a blanket ban on outdoor cannabis cultivation in Malta brings in an essential discussion that will cause rules to be adapted in that matter of the future.
While the ARUC may have good intentions based on protecting product quality and the related safety of the consumers, the opposition by activists calls into question the need for policies of that do not compromise environmental principles.
As the cannabis industry matures, regulations need to support sustainable practices and build a vibrant, responsible community
What Malta’s activism does call for in terms of policy reforms is not solely with regard to cannabis but looks toward a vision of an environmentally sensitive and economically fair cannabis industry.
