Malta Becomes First In Europe To Legalize Cannabis For Personal Use

Lawmakers in Malta, the smallest country in the European Union, voted to legalize cannabis for personal use on Tuesday. The vote made the Mediterranean country the first in Europe to legalize and regulate marijuana.

According to the Times of Malta, the Maltese parliament passed the Responsible Use of Cannabis bill with 36 votes in favor and 27 against. Backed by the ruling Labor Party of Malta, the bill allows for the possession, purchase and cultivation of marijuana. Residents can grow up to four plants and buy cannabis products for personal use. The Maltese government has been working on the bill for months, according to reports.

The bill, which still needs to be signed by President George Vella to become law, makes it legal to possess 7 grams of cannabis in public and keep up to 50 grams at home. People with criminal records for cannabis possession can apply to have the charges expunged—similar clauses passed by states like New York in the U.S.

Boris Jordan, the billionaire chairman of Massachusetts-based Curaleaf, which has 113 dispensaries across 23 states and is expanding to the U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal, says that Malta is the first, but German and other nations will follow close behind.