Malta Raises Stock Limits for Cannabis Associations

VALLETTA – Maltese regulators have raised the amounts of Cannabis that non-profit associations can keep on hand, responding to supply challenges faced by the country’s Cannabis clubs.

The updates, introduced through a legal notice, replace a uniform 500-gram cap with membership-based tiers at distribution sites:

• Associations with more than 350 members may now hold up to 3.5 kilos.
• Those with 250 to 350 members can stock 2.45 kilos, while clubs ranging from 110 to 250 members are limited to 1.75 kilos.
• Smaller groups with under 100 members can maintain 700 grams, and
• Those with fewer than 50 members are capped at 350 grams.

Clubs can also keep the equivalent of eight months of supply at their cultivation locations, calculated using the standard 50 grams per member monthly allowance.

These changes address difficulties reported throughout 2025, when many associations reached capacity and members encountered frequent shortages. The Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC), announced the legislative amendments do not affect the rules for individual possession or purchase established in Malta’s 2021 Cannabis reform, which allow adults to carry up to 7 grams in public without prosecution and purchase 7 grams daily up to 50 grams per month through their association.

Authorities have paired the increased allowances with higher penalties for violations. Holding excess Cannabis at distribution centers can result in fines between 2,000 and 10,000 euros. Exceeding limits at cultivation sites brings potential penalties as high as 50,000 euros or twice the revenue generated. Transporting Cannabis for an association without proper approval from ARUC also carries financial sanctions.

Malta became the first EU member state to legalize adult-use Cannabis through this controlled, non-commercial association model, with licensed operations beginning in 2024. Each association serves no more than 500 resident members and operates on a non-profit basis focused on harm reduction.

Generally, the regulatory shift represents a measured response to real-world data from inspections and member feedback. The original flat limit, designed to contain risks, proved insufficient once demand grew, highlighting the need for proportional scaling. Tying stock to membership size, while tightening enforcement, supports steadier access for users and reduces pressure on the associations to restock constantly from cultivation sites.