Cannabis users will be able to grow plants at home or buy the substance from specially set up associations, according to a cannabis reform bill, but smoking a joint in public will remain against the law, reports Times of Malta.

According to the bill, adults can legally possess up to 7 g of cannabis without the risk of arrest or confiscation. They are also allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants at home. Up to 50 g of dried cannabis buds may be stored at home at any time, the report said.
Anyone caught consuming cannabis in public must appear before a justice commissioner and can be fined up to EUR 235.
These changes were already part of a white paper presented by the government last year. However, the bill introduced in parliament in October now also provides for the establishment of cannabis associations. These associations will allow cannabis users who do not want to or are unable to grow the plant at home to legally purchase the drug by becoming members and buying their needs from them.