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

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.