THE WHAT Malta has become the first EU nation to legalize the cultivation and personal use of cannabis. 

THE DETAILS The Maltese parliament voted in favour of the reform last week, with 36 votes in favour and 27 against. 

Adults will be allowed to grow four plants at home and carry seven grams of cannabis, with smoking in public or in front of children remaining illegal. 

Associations will be set up to distribute the drug in order to monitor how much people can buy. Malta’s opposition Nationalist Party voted against the legalisation.

Other countries are set to follow suit, with Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland all having announced plans to create regulated markets. 

THE WHY Malta is pioneering legal cannabis distribution, with the country having approved legislation in 2018 to permit the production of cannabis for medicinal and research purposes.