In Mexico, Oaxaca anticipates the future legalization of cannabis

The state and city of Oaxaca, Mexico, seem tired of waiting for the implementation of the future cannabis regulation.

A few weeks ago, the’Oaxaca Indigenous Cannabis Producers Association (AIPCO), a nonprofit organization in Oaxaca made up of local Indigenous cannabis growers, has granted Indigenous communities 26 licenses to grow medical marijuana issued by the Mexican Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris). This authorization was already legal «in theory,» but had never been implemented due to the lack of federal regulation.

At the same time, the government of the state capital, Oaxaca de Juárez, informed civil society that, since there are no municipal regulations prohibiting the responsible use of cannabis by individuals in public spaces, local police officers have been instructed not to disturb cannabis users in the capital.

A policy change that came just a few days before the 420, which was duly celebrated in Oaxaca. In its letter, the city warned consumers that they should exercise their newfound freedom without infringing on the freedom of those around them.

«There is no municipal ordinance that expressly prohibits the responsible personal use of cannabis in public spaces,» the letter states. «Consumers are urged to avoid using cannabis in places where children are present or where other people have explicitly objected.»

Congratulations, Municipality of Oaxaca
A historic day for the cannabis community in #O Oaxaca Oaxacan Cannabis Movement #MoCO pic.twitter.com/L7k4Z8vtyr

— Cannabis Libre A.C. (@cannalibremx) April 14, 2022

«The municipal authority urges the municipal police to refrain from causing inconvenience to patrons and to ask them to move only if they are smoking near children or people who are categorically opposed to it.»

Federal legalization is still moving forward, albeit slowly

Like Newsweed has already reported this, federal laws remain vague and uncertain regarding cannabis use. The Mexican legislature continues to deliberate slowly on legalization following a series of rulings by the Supreme Court Overturns the Ban. As the federal process has stalled, provinces and municipalities are taking the lead on the issue, as is the case here in Oaxaca.

The Mexican Congress could legalize it later this year, despite President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s hesitations. His most recent statement on the issue came last summer, when he floated the idea of a national referendum on legalization, for which he asserts that there is no consensus.