Cannabis Decriminalization and the Limits of Liberal Reform: A Malta Case Study

Buxton, J ORCID: 0000-0002-1423-8074 and Neis Araujo, F (2026) Cannabis Decriminalization and the Limits of Liberal Reform: A Malta Case Study. Contemporary Drug Problems. ISSN 0091-4509

Preview

Text Cannabis Decriminalization and the Limits of Liberal Reform A Malta Case Study.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (426kB) | Preview

Abstract

The initial research enquiry concerned the political and social context of national drug policy reform. Why and how have some jurisdictions boldly contravened the international criminalization consensus set out in the United Nations 1961 Single Convention on Drugs and decriminalized cannabis, and in some cases, other controlled drugs? A qualitative case study using Malta as a small-scale (population N = 545,000) reform jurisdiction set us on a different path, exploring obstacles to the consolidation of national decriminalization initiatives after legal change. Key informant interviews in Malta (N=12) emphasized the difficulties of resetting the national political consensus. The question that emerged was not why was Malta one of the first countries to legalize, but why has progress stalled? To address this question, our analysis drew on the Advocacy Coalition Framework and the Historical Institutionalist approach. We found that progress had stalled not due to coalition behavior alone. Our analysis highlights the important role of past institutional choices, elite bargains and administrative structures in not only containing cannabis decriminalization in Malta but shaping the political forces that threaten to roll it back.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Cannabis; decriminalization; NGO; leadership; Malta; 4407 Policy and Administration; 4408 Political Science; 44 Human Society; Substance Misuse; Cannabinoid Research; 11 Medical and Health Sciences; 16 Studies in Human Society; 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences; 42 Health sciences; 44 Human society
Subjects:	K Law > K Law (General) K Law > KJ Europe
Divisions:	Law and Justice Studies
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Date of acceptance:	5 July 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	3 September 2026
Date Deposited:	03 Sep 2026 11:25
Last Modified:	03 Sep 2026 11:25
DOI or ID number:	10.1177/00914509261470381
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29313

View Item