Mexican Senate proposes latest version of cannabis legalization bill

Over the weekend, the Mexican Senate released the final draft of the bill that will regulate the consumption, production, harvesting, packaging, distribution, and cultivation of cannabis.

In 2018, the country's Supreme Court ruled that the ban on cannabis use for adults was unconstitutional and gave lawmakers one year to enact legislation establishing a new legal framework.

However, the project has been postponed because Mexican lawmakers are not ready to issue the new regulations governing legalization. Lawmakers have also faced pressure from the government health agency to clarify the laws surrounding medical cannabis, legalized in June 2017.

The Senate will now have to debate the bill and pass it during its next session, which will be held from February to April.

In the last proposal, the bill allows for the possession of 28 grams of cannabis for personal use. To obtain authorization to possess between 28 and 200 grams, Mexicans will be able to apply for a license from the Mexican Cannabis Institute, a government agency scheduled to open on January 1, 2021. The limit on the number of plants that can be grown at home has been increased from four to six.

The Senate’s new proposal also stipulates that communities that have been affected by drug trafficking and crime more broadly will be given priority for the issuance of cannabis cultivation licenses. A license holder would be limited to growing cannabis on one hectare of outdoor land or 1,000 square meters indoors.

If the bill becomes law, the Mexican Cannabis Institute will also issue separate licenses for the processing of cannabis for sale, the marketing of the plant and its derivatives, and the import and export of cannabis products.

Edible products and cannabis-infused beverages containing more than 1% of THC would be banned, as would cannabis-based beauty products.

In addition, it would issue research permits for the commercial cultivation of cannabis. The institute would no longer be responsible for setting cannabis taxes, as previously proposed.

The new law would also guarantee access to medical cannabis for people with serious health problems.