Mexico prepares for cannabis law reform

Mexico's Supreme Court has officially started the process of declaring the prohibition unconstitutional personal recreational use of cannabis. As a result, lawmakers have little time left to legislate on the conditions for decriminalizing this use, without which it will not be regulated. Parliamentarians from the majority met on March 13 to discuss the issue at the Forum on Cannabis Regulation organized by the Senate Health Committee.

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What's happening in Mexico?

Members of parliament from the main political parties (Morena, PAN and Movimiento Ciudadano) attended the Forum. They all agreed that decriminalization would be inevitable, while specifying that it would be a gradual process. As a forum for discussion, the Forum did not produce a clear-cut decision on the kind of decriminalization policies Mexican legislators intend to implement. One thing is certain for Senator Martha Lucia: «it's a question of not criminalizing the innocent and those who use it for personal consumption».

Last month, the Senate published an information report on legalization for legislators. The report does not make explicit recommendations, but details how legalization has worked in other states, and condenses the results of research on the issue to enable legislators to make an informed choice. Indeed, we still don't know what will happen to cannabis in Mexico: will it simply be decriminalized for personal use? Will it be legalized and authorized for sale? According to Senator Ricardo Monreal, there is a «political will» to regulate cannabis cultivation, testing, processing and sales.

Not only are legislators from the majority parties in favor, but so is the government. The latter recently met with Canadian representatives to discuss the issue. Olga Sanchez Cordero, Minister of the Interior, said as long ago as last year: «Canada has decriminalized and cannabis is decriminalized in several US states. What are we thinking about? We need to move forward. During her time in the Senate, she introduced a bill to regulate cannabis. There are currently three in the Senate, including one for set up a sales system. Cannabis is still not legal in Mexico, but it could become the 3rd country!