Licensed cannabis associations in Malta must guide members towards professional support, such as Sedqa, if they notice signs of dependence.

The rules for licensed cannabis associations require harm reduction, health information and staff training. None of the published provisions we found requires staff to guide a member towards professional help when they notice signs of dependence.

What ARUC's rules require

ARUC's Directive on Harm Reduction Practices requires associations to "perform and promote harm reduction practices" under General Condition 1. Condition 11 requires them to share "educational information on health and well-being related matters". Condition 9 says designated personnel "must attend training".

The Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis Act (Cap. 628, article 3(3)(f)) gives ARUC itself the duty to "organise or promote the training of officials working with cannabis users". ARUC's public guidance gives Sedqa's contact details to people experiencing problematic cannabis use.

Provision	What it requires	Requires guiding a member to support?
Directive, General Condition 1	Perform and promote harm reduction	No
Directive, Condition 9	Designated personnel attend training	No
Directive, Condition 11	Share health and well-being information	No
Cap. 628, art. 3(3)(f)	ARUC organises or promotes training	No (a duty on ARUC)
ARUC public guidance	Lists Sedqa's contact details	No (advice to users)

Source: ARUC, Directive on Harm Reduction Practices (v2.0, July 2024); Cap. 628; ARUC public guidance.

What Parliament was told

In PQ 34407, David Agius asked for the procedures and findings of inspections from January 2024 to January 2026. On 23 February 2026, Prime Minister Robert Abela replied that inspectors check compliance with the applicable laws, regulations and directives, and that no inspection is carried out by a single officer. The reply gave no inspection findings and no figures on members guided or referred to support.

Evaluation

Vella's wording, "għandhom l-obbligu", gives viewers the impression that the rules require a specific response when staff notice signs of dependence. The published provisions we found set duties on harm reduction, education and training, but do not require staff to guide the member towards professional help. The claim is rated Misleading.