Psychotherapist Mariella Dimech has been appointed as executive chairperson of the new cannabis authority. In a statement on Monday, the government said Dimech would head the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis. Her term will last three years. Malta legalised the cultivation and posession of cannabis use last month, becoming the first EU country to do so. The new body acts as a regulator for non-profit associations which are now allowed to cultivate and distribute cannabis to approved members. It is also tasked with educational campaigns. Who is Mariella Dimech? Dimech has worked with drug rehabilitation service Caritas for 21 years, ten of which saw her work as coordinator of all Tama Ġdida radio programs and services, with the aim of providing support to drug victims and their families. As coordinator, she was responsible for the creation of clinical programs for all the organisation's services. For six years, she ran the San Blas Therapeutic Community. The government said that under her leadership, the concept of residential treatment for drug victims was introduced. Dimech has run a private clinic for the past 12 years. She has also conducted studies on...