Opposition delays cannabis reform until December 14
PN requests vote by division, prompting week-long delay
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
A controversial new law on cannabis use will have to wait another week to be approved in parliament, after the opposition requested that MPs be called to vote individually on the matter. The proposed reform was set for its third and final reading in the House, which would normally be followed by a vote. However, while the government MPs said they were voting in favour, the opposition requested what is known as a division. Church organisations, NGOs and lobby groups opposed to easing cannabis laws filed a petition to parliament, in a last-ditch attempt to stop a reform bill from becoming law in its current form. (See also: Cannabis reform: Why the law should be changed - Owen Bonnici | NGOs slammed for lobbying to remove education references from cannabis law)
