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Law Mexico

BD9

Leaf Dawg
Mexico Calls Ban On Recreational Cannabis Unconstitutional

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...onal-marijuana-unconstitutional-idUSKCN1N638D

Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that an absolute ban on recreational use of marijuana was unconstitutional, effectively leaving it to lawmakers to regulate consumption of the drug.

In a statement, the court said the ruling did not create an absolute right to use marijuana and that consumption of certain substances could still be subject to regulation.

“But the effects caused by marijuana do not justify an absolute prohibition on its consumption,” it said.

Officials in the incoming government of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have indicated they could take steps to legalize marijuana quickly as part of a broader strategy to fight poverty and crime.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ons-on-ukraines-political-elite-idUSKCN1N6444
 
Mexico Aims to Legalize Recreational Marijuana Before October

It's only a matter of time before our neighbor to the south becomes the third country worldwide to green-light adult-use cannabis.


Momentum within the marijuana industry is undeniable. Since 1995, we've seen support for broad-based legalization in the U.S. catapult from just 25% to 66% in October 2018, according to Gallup's national poll. We've also gone from having zero U.S. states legalized for medical or recreational purposes in 1995 to 33 states having approved medical marijuana as of today, with 10 also allowing adult consumption.

This same momentum can be seen outside the United States as well. Today, more than 40 countries worldwide have given the green light to medical cannabis, with two -- Canada and Uruguay -- allowing the recreational sale of the drug. In fact, Canada's landmark legalization in 2018 marked the first time an industrialized country had fully legalized weed.

The big question always seems to be, which country is next?

According to online cannabis publication Marijuana Moment, the answer is pretty obvious: Mexico.

image

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Mexico plans to roll out the green carpet before October
In June 2017, Mexico became one of the aforementioned 40-plus countries to legalize medical marijuana, which is no small feat given the control certain drug cartels wield in Mexico. With this medical pot infrastructure already in place, the time has come for Mexico take the next logical step and become the third country worldwide to have broadly legalized cannabis.


Of course, Mexico's lawmakers aren't necessarily considering legalization because they feel it's the right thing to do, or because an estimated 80% of the public in informal polling favors legalization. Rather, Mexico's lawmakers are being coerced by the nation's Supreme Court.

You see, anytime Mexico's Supreme Court reaches five similar decisions on an issue, the standard set by the court is applied throughout the country. With regard to recreational marijuana, Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled five times since 2015 that the imposition of a ban on recreational pot is unconstitutional. In effect, the Supreme Court has made legalization the standard, and now it's up to Mexico's Senate to amend the existing laws to reflect this ruling.

According to Marijuana Moment, lawmakers plan to use the summer recess, which begins May 1 and runs through Aug. 31, to rework legislation to legalize recreational marijuana throughout Mexico. This recess period is particularly important given that the Supreme Court has imposed an October deadline to develop a regulatory plan for cannabis.

image

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Should Mexico indeed move forward with legalization before October, as well as develop a plan to reduce or eliminate cartel interference, it could be on a path to usurp Canada as the most important marijuana market in the world. The reason? Just look at the population variance between the two counties. Canada had a population of 37 million in 2018, with about one in six adults using marijuana during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Mexico has a population of approximately 130 million. If a similar percentage of adults pay for legal cannabis, Mexico could dwarf Canada in terms of long-term sales potential.


These two pot stocks would welcome Mexico legalizing adult-use cannabis
Interestingly enough, though, there aren't too many marijuana stocks that currently have much of a presence in Mexico. But should full legalization occur within the next few months, Aurora Cannabis (NYSE:ACB) and, to a lesser extent Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC), should be sitting pretty.

Aurora Cannabis, the projected leader in peak weed production in Canada, is the most logical beneficiary following the December 2018 announcement that it was acquiring Mexico's Farmacias Magistrales. Farmacias was the first company to receive a license to import, manufacture, store, and distribute cannabis in Mexico. The company also has multiple sales channels via retail stores and pharmacies throughout the county, providing Aurora Cannabis with a first-mover advantage.

At the time of the acquisition, Farmacias was entirely geared to support the medical marijuana community, with 12,000 square feet of growing space, and access to up to 80,000 retail points. This fits with Aurora's theme of focusing on the higher margin medical marijuana community. But given Aurora's aggressive expansion tactics, legalization would almost certainly mean going on the offensive and dramatically boosting Farmacias's production capacity.

image

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

The other big winner would be the largest marijuana stock in the world by market cap, Canopy Growth. Canopy's international medical marijuana brand, Spectrum Cannabis, has a presence in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, with Canopy's management having hinted in the past that moving into Mexico, with the assumption of legalization, wouldn't be difficult. Loaded with $3.7 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of the end of the fiscal third quarter, Canopy Growth would have no issues laying the framework to push into Mexico.


Although all eyes might be on Canada or the U.S., don't sleep on Mexico, as it looks ready to step into a leading role in the global adult-use cannabis market.
 
Mexico scrambles to legalize recreational cannabis by court-imposed deadline

Time is running out on Mexico’s cannabis ban.

With less than a month remaining to abide by a Supreme Court-ordered deadline to legalize recreational cannabis, the country’s congress is mulling 10 proposed laws that would make them just the third country in the world—behind Uruguay and Canada—to legalize adult use.

But a controversial proposal introduced early this month has stakeholders worried the government will try to maintain the status quo for as long as possible, despite the court ruling earlier this year that banning cannabis is illegal.
“If the Senate approves this bill, it would buy time and get rid of the pressure from of the Supreme Court, but it would not change that much from the current situation, because it would only instruct the health ministry to give permits for self-consumption,” said José Trinidad Murillo, director of public affairs of Mexican-based Canncura Pharma, a company specializing in cannabis research and technology.
“Everything else would remain as it is today; that is, people, patients and businesses waiting for a proper set of rules regarding cannabis,” Murillo said.
And because this bill was submitted to congress by the legislative bodies in charge of drafting the final law itself, Murillo said he fears it will be used as an insurance plan in case the debate around cannabis gets too polarized. “This way, the parliament would comply with the Supreme Court and wait for a better political moment for a more complete regulation,” he said.

But with nine different bills under consideration—including one offering a more comprehensive cannabis framework—lawyer Luis Armendáriz said there was no reason to panic. “There are signs that this is the bill that’s being given priority,” Armendáriz said.

Mexico must act on one of the bills by Oct. 24.
 
Well, of course he does.....how the hell else do you expect them to collect bribes and skim off of the industry?


Mexico lawmaker says the government should regulate and sell marijuana

Mexico’s government shouldn’t only regulate pot, it should be the main bulk buyer and seller of the drug, lower house majority leader Mario Delgado proposed in a new bill.
A public company named Cannsalud would be authorized exclusively to acquire cannabis from growers with permits and then sell the drug to franchises authorized to sell small amounts to the public, according to the bill.

“This way the cannabis market wouldn’t be left to the autonomous regulation by individuals, but would involve the state as a permanent supervisor and controller of activity involving this substance within a legal framework that would guarantee benefits for all,” the bill states.

Delgado’s ruling Morena party holds majorities in both house of congress, and his intention to push for state involvement in the marijuana trade is in line with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s pledge to increase government presence in the private sector. Lopez Obrador has said regulation of some drugs like marijuana is possible under his administration, but it’s unclear if he’d support a government company running the trade.

Individuals would be able to grow as many as six plants for personal use without permits, but Cannsalud would be the exclusive seller of marijuana to the pharmaceutical industry, according to the bill.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has said Mexico should promote other story lines beyond television shows that portray it as overrun by narcos.
 
Mexico Unveiled Its Recreational Cannabis Bill: 8 Things You Need to Know

The United States' southerly neighbor might legalize adult-use marijuana as early as this week.




On Oct. 17, 2019, a number of Mexican Senate committees unveiled draft legislation that would make our neighbor to the south the third country worldwide, after Uruguay and Canada, to legalize recreational marijuana. As reported by Canamo Mexico and Marijuana Moment, the 74 article, 42-page draft is similar to a bill proposed last year by Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero, who was then serving as a senator. However, the current legislation also incorporates bits and pieces of numerous other legislative proposals, and may be further modified by input received from the public.

Here are eight things you should know about Mexico's groundbreaking cannabis bill, which seems to be very close to becoming law.

1. It's sort of a formality
To begin with, you should understand that Mexico's push toward adult-use legalization is really just a formality at this point.

You see, Mexico's Supreme Court ruled last year that a ban on the recreational use and possession of cannabis was unconstitutional. This was the fifth time that Mexico's highest court had reached a similar verdict. In Mexico, when the Supreme Court reaches a similar verdict five time, it becomes the set standard. Thus, recreational marijuana has already, in theory, been legalized by the Mexican Supreme Court. It's simply a matter of lawmakers drawing up the rules and regulations that'll govern the industry by putting pen to paper.

2. You only need to be 18 to buy and possess recreational weed in Mexico
One of the most glaring differences you'll see between Mexico's legislation and select U.S. states and Canada is that the minimum age of purchase and possession is slated to be set at only 18 in our neighbor to the south. Mexico has a considerably larger population than Canada (127.6 million versus 37.4 million), and the fact that adults three years younger in Mexico could potentially become consumers might make the Mexican market all that more attractive to the pot industry.

3. Consumption can only occur in private
As should be little surprise, the initial draft calls for the consumption of recreational marijuana to occur only in private spaces. This is consistent with pretty much every U.S. state and Canada. Although the first cannabis café opened in West Hollywood, Calif., just three weeks ago, pot cafes and other non-private places of consumption are a rarity, and it's likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future throughout North America.

4. Packaging regulations will be strict
Also consistent with the message that's being sent throughout legalized North American markets, Mexico's recreational weed legislation calls for packaging to be nondescript, and for no real people or fictional characters to appear on that packaging. Mexico, like Canada and the U.S., is trying to use these tough regulations to (pardon the pun) weed out illegal production, as well as discourage adolescents from being lured to cannabis products.

5. Edibles and infused beverages are for medical patients only
Arguably the most interesting aspect of Mexico's recreational marijuana draft legislation is that it would only allow for medical marijuana patients to purchase edibles and cannabis-infused beverages. That's meaningful from an investment perspective given that derivatives almost always bear considerably higher margins for growers than dried cannabis flower. Medical marijuana has been legal in Mexico since June 2017.

6. The Cannabis Institute will oversee the Mexican pot industry
Similar to the setup in Canada, a central agency, known as the Cannabis Institute, will be responsible for overseeing Mexico's marijuana industry. The Cannabis Institute would be delegated with setting potency limits for recreational weed, implementing whatever legislation is passed, and issuing cultivation and/or sales licenses. Surprisingly, Health Canada has proven to be more of a crutch than an aide in the early going for the Canadian pot industry, so it'll be interesting to see how well the Cannabis Institute performs, assuming this is, indeed, the legislation that becomes law in Mexico.

7. Big businesses won't have licensing priority
Another important thing investors should know is that major North American cannabis businesses aren't going to be given priority in terms of being awarded licenses. The draft legislation calls for low-income individuals, small farmers, and indigenous peoples to have licensing priority in Mexico. This is likely being done to ensure that Mexico's economy, and not foreign companies, benefit most, as well as keeps the Mexican recreational market as competitive as possible.

8. The timeline to pass this bill may not be met
Finally, understand that while the Mexican Supreme Court set a deadline on lawmakers to pass a recreational cannabis bill, it's possible that, even with this legislation in hand, passage is delayed. Even though lawmakers are aiming for approval this week, they may need to appeal to their country's Supreme Court for an extension. Without any precedent, it's unclear whether the high court would grant one.

Mexico may have big market potential, but cannabis stocks may look elsewhere
Assuming Mexico's lawmakers like what they see from this draft and choose to legalize recreational cannabis before the end of the month, the State of the Legal Cannabis Markets report from Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics suggests that $1 billion in annual sales could be possible (on a combined basis with medical sales) by 2024. This certainly sounds like a healthy amount of annual revenue that would attract pot stocks.

Aurora Cannabis (NYSE:ACB), for example, acquired Farmacias Magistrales last December. Aurora's acquisition came with access to more than 500 pharmacies and hospitals in Mexico, as well as a 12,000-square-foot pharmaceutical processing and production facility in Mexico City. Farmacias is also the only company licensed to import raw materials containing more than 1% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the cannabinoid that gets users high.

Similarly, Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC:MJNA) has been operating in our southerly neighbor for three years. Medical Marijuana was the first company to import CBD-rich oils into Mexico, and the expansion of the consumer market via this legalization bill would, presumably, open up new opportunities.

But it's important to note that Mexico isn't prioritizing licensing for big businesses, and that it's not allowing adult consumers to buy some of the highest-margin derivatives. That makes the recreational market a less-than-stellar option for Aurora Cannabis and Medical Marijuana. While the two are likely to continue focusing on the medical side of the equation in Mexico, where high-margin derivative products can be sold, the recreational market might be best off avoided by pot stocks.
 
Mexico to implement 3-year-old medical cannabis law as full legalization delayed

Mexican authorities plan to finalize medical cannabis regulations in the next two months, the Secretariat of Health of the country said in a news release.

The General Health Law of Mexico, amended in mid-2017, authorized cannabis for medical use – including products high in THC.

However, that amendment did not create any specific rules or regulations to facilitate a functioning market.

Instead, it mandated the Health Secretariat to issue regulations within 180 days.

Three years later, Mexico is one of several nations that is credited for having legalized medical cannabis, but the country effectively has no domestic market because of a lack of regulations.

Experts say it is uncertain whether Mexican authorities will create the necessary rules for a functional market within the promised two-month window.

It is not the first time authorities have attempted to implement the 2017 law.

Toward the end of 2018, the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) – an organ of the Secretariat of Health – issued guidelines and granted the first product authorizations.

But that did not last long.

In early 2019, the guidelines were revoked because new authorities concluded that the rules contravened the 2017 law they intended to regulate, as well as several other laws.

That largely paralyzed any short-lived business opportunities.

Later in 2019, a Supreme Court ruling mandated the Health Secretariat to regulate the 2017 law amendment within 180 working days by creating rules for the medical use of cannabis.

In the communication issued last week, the Secretariat of Health said that because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the “approximate” deadline to create those regulations ends Sept. 9, 2020.

It is unknown what the forthcoming regulations will look like exactly, but what is known is they can address only medical cannabis, which was the subject of the 2017 law.

A bill to fully legalize cannabis, including for recreational use, has been delayed multiple times.

The current expected deadline for the approval of that bill is Dec. 15, 2020.

Also uncertain is how any new medical regulations approved before Sept. 9 would function alongside a new more comprehensive law expected by December.

Several cannabis companies issued news releases in recent years suggesting they are well positioned to capitalize on what, one day, could be one of the largest marijuana markets in the world.

However, with no regulatory framework in place to use for market calculations, such estimates remain largely make believe.

Many analysts and companies often fail to communicate to investors that:

  • Regulatory processes often take years to be drafted and implemented,.
  • Functional, developed cannabis markets are hard to find outside North America – sometimes even years after legalization takes place.
 

Mexican Senate Will Vote On Marijuana Legalization Bill By End Of October, Majority Leader Says


The Mexican Senate will likely vote on a bill to legalize marijuana within the next two weeks, the chamber’s majority leader recently said.

Activists have been eagerly awaiting action on the reform legislation since the Supreme Court deemed personal possession and cultivation of cannabis unconstitutional in 2018—though some are pushing for a greater emphasis on social equity before lawmakers pass the pending bill in its current form.

The high court in April granted a second deadline extension to give legislators additional time to enact the policy change amid the coronavirus pandemic, pushing it to December 15. That said, Ricardo Monreal, the ruling MORENA party’s leader in the Senate, said the chamber will advance the bill before the end of October.

It’s not clear if the legislation will go through the committee process or straight to the floor given that tight timeline. Zara Snapp, a legalization activist with the Instituto RIA and the coalition #RegulacionPorLaPaz, told Marijuana Moment that advocates have similarly heard from senators that the plan is to quickly pass the proposal and they’re “hopeful” that’s the case.

If the Senate passes the legal cannabis bill it will still have to go before the other house of the nation’s Congress, the Chamber of Deputies.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in August that marijuana reform legislation will advance in the new session. The bill was approved by several committees earlier this year, but the COVID-19 outbreak derailed negotiations.

The civil rights group México Unido outlined its concerns about the current proposal in a Twitter thread on Tuesday, contending that as drafted it would allow select companies to monopolize the industry.

They said that amending the measure should be “a matter of distributing the benefits of the market among those who have been most affected” by cannabis criminalization, according to a translation.

The legalization bill that’s set to advance this coming session was revised during a joint meeting of the Justice, Health, Legislative Studies and Public Safety Committees in March.

The proposal would allow adults 18 and older to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal use. Individuals could grow up to 20 registered plants as long as the total yield doesn’t exceed 480 grams per year. Medical patients could apply to cultivate more than 20 plants, however.

Legal personal possession would be capped at 28 grams, but possession of up to 200 grams would be decriminalized.

The Mexican Institute of Regulation and Control of Cannabis, a decentralized body established under the measure, would be established and responsible for regulating the market and issuing licenses for marijuana businesses.

The bill proposes a 12 percent tax on cannabis sales, with some revenue going toward a substance misuse treatment fund.

Public consumption would be permissible, except in spaces designated as 100 percent smoke-free. Hemp and CBD would be exempt from regulations that apply to THC products.

An earlier version of the legislation was approved by Senate committees last year ahead of the court’s previous October 2019 deadline.

Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salazar, also of the MORENA party, said in April that while legislators must still resolve certain disagreements about the legislation, legalizing cannabis could fill treasury coffers at a time when the economy is recovering from the pandemic.

As lawmakers work to advance the reform legislation, there’s been a more lighthearted push to focus attention on the issue by certain members and activists. That push has mostly involved planting and gifting marijuana.

Last month, a top administration official was gifted a cannabis plant by senator on the Senate floor, and she said she’d be making it a part of her personal garden.

A different lawmaker gave the same official, Interior Ministry Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero, a marijuana joint on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies last year.

Cannabis made another appearance in the legislature in August, when Sen. Jesusa Rodríguez of the MORENA party decorated her desk with a marijuana plant.

Drug policy reform advocates have also been cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants in front of the Senate, putting pressure on legislators to make good on their pledge to advance legalization.
 

Mexican Senators Will Vote On Revised Marijuana Legalization Bill This Week


Mexican senators are circulating a revised draft bill to legalize marijuana nationwide, and several committees are set to hold a joint hearing on the legislation on Friday. The plan is to move the proposal to the full Senate floor as soon as this coming Tuesday.

The proposal would establish a regulated cannabis market in Mexico, allowing adults 18 and older to purchase and possess up to 28 grams of marijuana and cultivate up to four plants for personal use, according to a draft dated November 8 that was obtained by Marijuana Moment.

But adults would have to obtain a license from regulators in order to legally consume cannabis.

Lawmakers have been working on the reform legislation for two years since the nation’s Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the prohibition on possessing and growing cannabis is unconstitutional. The court ordered Congress to amend the law accordingly, but the legislature has struggled to reach consensus on the issue and has been granted several deadline extensions to enact the policy change.

The current deadline to legalize marijuana is December 15. Members of the Senate’s United Commissions of Justice, Health, and Legislative Studies will take an initial step to that end on Friday, debating the latest proposal and potentially advancing it to a full floor vote.

Senate President Eduardo Ramírez said on Wednesday that there is a “consensus” to achieve the reform by the court-mandated date.

“Surely in the next few days it will be resolved,” he said.

But Sen. Martha Márquez of the PAN party told El Norte that she’s unsure why the panels are convening, as the coronavirus pandemic has meant suspending in-person legislative activity. However, she said she’s more surprised because the committees already approved a legalization bill earlier this year.

Advocates have been consistently pushing for legislative action on reform since the court ruling, though they’ve taken issue with certain provisions of lawmakers’ various proposals. Namely, they remain concerned about high penalties that can be imposed for violating the cannabis rules and feel the bill should further promote social equity in the industry.

The bill “still has a chance to be improved with changes to the currently punitive approach,” Zara Snapp, a legalization activist with the Instituto RIA and the coalition #RegulacionPorLaPaz, told Marijuana Moment

“This is an opportunity for them to legislate in a way that will have the social impact that we all desire, but changes are necessary,” she said. “This can be a historic opportunity to begin to repair the harms of prohibition.”

That said, the legislation makes some attempts to mitigate the influence of large marijuana corporations. For example, it states that for the first five years after implementation, at least 40 percent of cannabis business licenses must be granted to those from indigenous, low-income or historically marginalized communities.

The Mexican Institute of Cannabis would be responsible for regulating the market and issuing licenses.

Public consumption of marijuana would be allowed, except in places where tobacco use is prohibited or at mass gatherings where people under 18 could be exposed.

Households where more than one adult lives would be limited to cultivating a maximum of six plants. The legislation also says people “should not” consume cannabis in homes where there are underaged individuals. Possession of more than 28 grams but fewer than 200 grams would be considered an infraction punishable by a fine but no jail time.

While Ricardo Monreal, the ruling MORENA party’s coordinator in the Senate, said the chamber would vote on the legalization bill by the end of October, that timeline did not work out.

If the Senate passes the legal cannabis bill it will still have to go before the other house of the nation’s Congress, the Chamber of Deputies.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in August that marijuana reform legislation will advance in the session that began in September.

Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salazar, also of the MORENA party, said in April that legalizing cannabis could fill treasury coffers at a time when the economy is recovering from the pandemic.

As lawmakers work to advance the reform legislation, there’s been a more lighthearted push to focus attention on the issue by certain members and activists. That push has mostly involved planting and gifting marijuana.

In September, a top administration official was gifted a cannabis plant by senator on the Senate floor, and she said she’d be making it a part of her personal garden.

A different lawmaker gave the same official, Interior Ministry Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero, a marijuana joint on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies last year.

Cannabis made another appearance in the legislature in August, when Sen. Jesusa Rodríguez of the MORENA party decorated her desk with a marijuana plant.

Drug policy reform advocates have also been cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants in front of the Senate, putting pressure on legislators to make good on their pledge to advance legalization.

Read the draft Mexican marijuana legalization bill by following title link and scrolling to the bottom of the article
 

Mexican Senate Passes Bill To Legalize Marijuana Nationwide


Mexico’s Senate approved a bill to legalize marijuana nationally on Thursday.

Before it can become law it must also be passed by the other body of the country’s Congress, the Chamber of Deputies.

The legislation, which was circulated in draft form earlier this month, would establish a regulated cannabis market in Mexico, allowing adults 18 and older to purchase and possess up to 28 grams of marijuana and cultivate up to six plants for personal use.

Several changes included in a last-minute amendment added on the Senate floor are technical in nature. However, there were a number of notable revisions, such as an increase from the initial limit of four self-cultivated plants per person and to make it so people who grow cannabis for personal use will not be subject to a requirement to have regulators track plants.

An additional change mandates that the government clear criminal records of people with past cannabis convictions within six months.

Lawmakers also removed a prohibition on owning more than one type of marijuana license, allowing for vertical integration of cannabis businesses. A previous version of the bill would have only allowed people from vulnerable communities to hold more than one license type.

Another modification that advocates are not happy with says that nonprofit associations of consumers that collectively cultivate cannabis must be located at least 500 meters from schools, sports and recreation centers and anywhere that third parties who have not given their consent could be exposed to smoke.

The Senate vote was 82 to 18, with seven abstentions.

The legislation cleared a joint group of Senate committees on Thursday, with some amendments being made after members informally considered and debated the proposalduring a virtual hearing last week.

Members of the Senate’s Justice, Health, and Legislative Studies Committees had approved a prior version of legal cannabis legislation in March, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed consideration of the issue.

While advocates have celebrated the advancement of cannabis reform through the legislature, they have fought hard for changes to better protect consumers’ rights and promote social equity in the legal market. Namely, they remain concerned about high penalties that can be imposed for violating the cannabis rules and feel the bill should do more to allow opportunities for small farmers.

Many of their requested changes did not make it into the version approved by the Senate, and it’s not clear if the Chamber of Deputies will act to change the legislation

That said, Ricardo Monreal, the ruling MORENA party’s coordinator in the Senate, arguedlast week that the proposal is a significant improvement on current laws against possession, which have “only caused the detention centers to be full of people for possession of a few grams of cannabis, which is why they seek to reduce the penalties in carrying of this product.”

In a column published on the senator’s website on Sunday, he said the “intensity, duration and complexity of the discussion reflects the desire to achieve the pacification of a country that for years has been a victim of violence caused by drug trafficking, as well as the will to respect the right to free development of the personality, at the same time that favorable conditions are generated to expand national economic development,” according to a translation.

Lawmakers have “the historic opportunity to regulate the use of cannabis within the Mexican regulatory framework, to allow better control of the health of users, the emancipation of organized crime activities and the use of its wide benefits for society,” he said, adding “this is a momentous moment in the public life of the country.”

Senators have been working on the reform legislation for two years since the nation’s Supreme Court ruled in late 2018 that the prohibition on possessing and growing cannabis is unconstitutional. The court ordered Congress to amend the law accordingly, but the legislature has struggled to reach consensus on the issue and has been granted several deadline extensions to enact the policy change.

The current deadline to legalize marijuana is December 15.

Senate President Eduardo Ramírez said last week that there is a “consensus” to achieve the reform by the court-mandated date.

The legislation makes some attempts to mitigate the influence of large marijuana corporations. For example, it states that for the first five years after implementation, at least 40 percent of cannabis business licenses must be granted to those from indigenous, low-income or historically marginalized communities.

The Mexican Institute of Cannabis would be responsible for regulating the market and issuing licenses.

Public consumption of marijuana would be allowed, except in places where tobacco use is prohibited or at mass gatherings where people under 18 could be exposed.

Households where more than one adult lives would be limited to cultivating a maximum of eight plants. The legislation also says people “should not” consume cannabis in homes where there are underaged individuals. Possession of more than 28 grams but fewer than 200 grams would be considered an infraction punishable by a fine but no jail time.

Monreal originally said the chamber would vote on the legalization bill by the end of October, that timeline did not work out.

In his latest column, he remarked that the delay enabled the legislature to take into consideration marijuana reforms “in Uruguay, Canada and the United States,” which “serve as examples of the probable consequences that must be foresee and solve in the Mexican case, while observing the benefits that the regulated use of this plant and its derivatives has generated in those nations.”

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in August that marijuana reform legislation will advance in the session that began in September.

Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salazar, also of the MORENA party, said in April that legalizing cannabis could fill treasury coffers at a time when the economy is recovering from the pandemic.

As lawmakers work to advance the reform legislation, there’s been a more lighthearted push to focus attention on the issue by certain members and activists. That push has mostly involved planting and gifting marijuana.

In September, a top administration official was gifted a cannabis plant by senator on the Senate floor, and she said she’d be making it a part of her personal garden.

A different lawmaker gave the same official, Interior Ministry Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero, a marijuana joint on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies last year.

Cannabis made another appearance in the legislature in August, when Sen. Jesusa Rodríguez of the MORENA party decorated her desk with a marijuana plant.

Drug policy reform advocates have also been cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants in front of the Senate, putting pressure on legislators to make good on their pledge to advance legalization
 

Mexico Will Legalize The World’s Largest Legal Cannabis Market

The United States will soon be sandwiched between two nations with federally legalized marijuana. Just days before the Thanksgiving holiday, Mexico moved forward with legislation legalizing the cannabis plant for a variety of uses.
This comes on the heels of Canada's historic legalization several years ago, which has created a viable international marketplace, channeling funds through the Canadian markets and effectively mobilizing the global cannabis industry.
When Canada legalized, the U.S. missed an opportunity to ensure that NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange would have a role in controlling the financial markets and dollars funneling into cannabis. This was expected since Jeff Sessions was in control of the Department of Justice (DOJ). We didn't necessarily have a pro-cannabis Administration under Trump and certainly not under the leadership of Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, no friend to marijuana. Despite this, what are the implications for America doing business with partners directly to the north and south?

At first, you might think none of this matters as the U.S. has legalized adult-use marijuana programs state-by-state. While this dispensary models still violates federal law, it has garnered bipartisan support from American politicians to prevent the DOJ from interfering with legal, state marijuana businesses. But the issue is much larger.
We’re talking about a global cannabis economy, with Mexico as the largest country in the world, by population, to legalize marijuana. Mexico will boast the biggest consumer market for cannabis products — with a population of more than 125 million people - representing an enormous leap forward for the developing international cannabis marketplace.
A few steps remain to federally legalize marijuana in Mexico, but the bill has been approved by the Mexican Senate. The bill will establish a regulated cannabis market to allow those eighteen and older to purchase and possess up to 28 grams of marijuana. It also allows a personal cultivation provision for individuals to cultivate up to four plants for personal use. Some technical requirements still need to be hammered out before outright passage, including whether or not personal use cultivation needs to be tracked by the government.



All this was supposed to happen earlier in 2020, as two years ago the Mexican Supreme Court struck down a marijuana ban as unconstitutional and required lawmakers to pass legalization measures.
I travelled to Mexico this past February, pre-COVID, to consult with the Mexican Senate on the considerations for hemp and marijuana policy. The timeframe for moving the legislation forward was pushed back by the pandemic. With full passage of the bill now imminent, what can we expect?
Mexico is not the first country with a narco or cartel trafficking history to pass cannabis legalization. It’s happened in numerous Latin America countries that made up part of the black market drug trade. This makes the cartel implications for federal marijuana legalization extraordinarily interesting.
Mexico seeks to regulate and legalize the plant, put strict controls on ownership and the supply chain in place, and to engage in domestic and, most importantly, international commerce surrounding marijuana. The dollars invested in this industry must comply with all forms of financial source verification — theoretically mitigating the opportunity for organized crime to participate in this business.
Something that seems counterintuitive to Mexico's legalization campaign is that hemp may or may not be included in its final version — as it may pose too much of a threat to existing Mexican industries. I’d argue that this is precisely why hemp is so important - its versatility and multitude of industrial uses go far beyond the singular focus of being cultivated for cannabinoid extraction.
Until late 2019, the Hoban Law Group had registered a number of cannabinoid CBD manufacturers’ products with COFEPRIS, Mexico’s FDA, when things were put on pause to finish up the legislation. If hemp is indeed excluded from the final bill, it would have ramifications for the cannabinoid and CBD industry in Mexico.
Why would those other industries see industrial hemp as a threat? A significant sector of Mexico’s economy is the maquiladoras: local factories run by foreign companies, generally tapping into Mexico’s cheap labor and manufacturing goods for export. Some large maquiladoras have already begun utilizing hemp, including BMW and Levi’s, which have facilities in Mexico. Automotive and textile Industries are major players in the world, but industrial hemp would not displace them. It would complement the existing operations and provide farmers with a more versatile plant requiring less water.
Mexico has a well-documented history of cannabis usage, but will these consumers move their buying habits into a legal, commercial marketplace? The answer is likely yes — if there are medical marijuana distribution outlets selling products created through a regulated system. And will this system displace some of the large illicit cultivation operations across Mexico?
Mexico hopes to join other Latin American countries in becoming major forces in the global cannabis industry and to address the cultural and historically illicit implications of cartel and criminal activity surrounding the plant. How this will roll out and its effectiveness remains to be seen.
Pair the skill set of Mexico's farmers and agricultural industry with the country’s manufacturing capabilities and an international cannabis marketplace and the pieces could fall into a very favorable place for the nation’s economy and citizenry.
For the now-sandwiched U.S., this will have major implications for American drug policy and cannabis reform moving forward — while perhaps generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the participants. Perhaps this will give U.S. policy makers the push they need to approve federal cannabis legalization, especially in the midst of a pandemic-induced, global economic downturn.
Mexico can show us the way.
 

Measure to Legalize Marijuana in Mexico Falls Short in Big Ways


Marijuana Measures Fall Short of Providing Free Development of Personality


The crux of Rivera and his team’s demands are simple: to ensure the right to freely develop one’s personality, on equal terms as tobacco and alcohol. To do that, you need to end prohibition and discrimination in the system. . In my interview with him, Rivera describes how the lack of free homegrown cultivation suggests these new laws are meant to support a big business instead of all of Mexico’s citizens who are asking for non profit cultivation that is free from unjustified limitations of differentiated treatment before the law.






Furthermore, Rivera adds that since possession isn’t “free” and requires one to have purchased their cannabis instead of being able to carry cannabis grown at home, that these measures are actually discriminatory. Finally, the measure completely lacks any and all efforts to provide reparations for those marginalized communities deeply affected by the drug war to begin with. In Rivera’s words, the government is simply “changing the address of prohibition”–and this simply isn’t enough.


Primero Derechos, Despues Mercado: “First Our Rights, Then the Market”

On the back of Pepe’s t-shirt was the phrase Primero Derechos, Despues Mercado, which stands for “first our rights, then the market”. Rivera’s team is adamant that cannabis reform needs to prioritize human rights and ensure basic freedoms before seeking to capitalize–especially when the capital does nothing to help those affected most by oppressive prohibitionist policies. The fact that 28-200 grams of cannabis are only allowed in one’s possession if they are purchased at the market, and not grown at home, highlights these serious shortfalls in the proposed cannabis policy.

mexico marijuana legalize cannabis equality policy reform


Rivera Calls for Consistency in Cannabis Regulation, Not Control

Another important demand of Rivera is rescheduling THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, as a schedule IV compound as per article 245 of the General Health Law Mexico’s controlled substances act. Everybody has a 245. It’s also in the International Drug Conventions. Rescheduling is the basis for sensible, rational and proportionate laws and public policy around the world. That is the way to really end the drug war, by ending the State lie where they try to keep treating cannabis as a threat to society.
Furthermore, Rivera spotlights that the new measures seek to further “control” cannabis use instead of regulate it. Specifically, Rivera mentions how they need to change the regulation of adult use to responsible personal use instead. The latter still prohibits minors from using cannabis while still maximizing personal freedoms. Finally, it is Rivera and his team’s stance that claims the treatise not only need to be changed, but publicly denounced as well. It is a matter of “reparations and transitional justice” according to Rivera. These are both important issues currently being addressed in the United States as legalization measures sweep the nation and are crucial for other countries, like Mexico, to implement as well.
The year 2020 has witnessed some major wins for drug policy around the globe. If you want to learn more about these historic legislative strides and their impact on the psychedelic investment landscape, grab free tickets to the premiere monthly Psychedelic Capital investment conference!

mexico marijuana legalize cannabis equality policy reform


More about Rivera’s Band of Activists and Plantón 420

For those that don’t know, Rivera and his team have established a creatively bold demonstration of protest right outside the Mexican senate. A cannabis “garden” replete with strikingly tall cannabis plants boldly line the entrance to the senate. The area, dubbed “Plantón 420” for the 420 cannabis plants towering outside the entrance, has become something of a smoker’s paradise. Cannabis enthusiasts are able to light up at Plantón 420 without fear of arrest.
This bold flavor of protest demonstrates the ruthless approach Rivera is taking to cannabis policy reform. He is shamelessly presenting the true spirit of decriminalization – fighting for our inherent right to use psychoactive drugs. The suddenly fashionable “cannabis for elite licensees only” attitude will not prevail as long as Rivera is spearheading his working class movement.
 

Measure to Legalize Marijuana in Mexico Falls Short in Big Ways


Marijuana Measures Fall Short of Providing Free Development of Personality


The crux of Rivera and his team’s demands are simple: to ensure the right to freely develop one’s personality, on equal terms as tobacco and alcohol. To do that, you need to end prohibition and discrimination in the system. . In my interview with him, Rivera describes how the lack of free homegrown cultivation suggests these new laws are meant to support a big business instead of all of Mexico’s citizens who are asking for non profit cultivation that is free from unjustified limitations of differentiated treatment before the law.






Furthermore, Rivera adds that since possession isn’t “free” and requires one to have purchased their cannabis instead of being able to carry cannabis grown at home, that these measures are actually discriminatory. Finally, the measure completely lacks any and all efforts to provide reparations for those marginalized communities deeply affected by the drug war to begin with. In Rivera’s words, the government is simply “changing the address of prohibition”–and this simply isn’t enough.


Primero Derechos, Despues Mercado: “First Our Rights, Then the Market”

On the back of Pepe’s t-shirt was the phrase Primero Derechos, Despues Mercado, which stands for “first our rights, then the market”. Rivera’s team is adamant that cannabis reform needs to prioritize human rights and ensure basic freedoms before seeking to capitalize–especially when the capital does nothing to help those affected most by oppressive prohibitionist policies. The fact that 28-200 grams of cannabis are only allowed in one’s possession if they are purchased at the market, and not grown at home, highlights these serious shortfalls in the proposed cannabis policy.

mexico marijuana legalize cannabis equality policy reform


Rivera Calls for Consistency in Cannabis Regulation, Not Control

Another important demand of Rivera is rescheduling THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, as a schedule IV compound as per article 245 of the General Health Law Mexico’s controlled substances act. Everybody has a 245. It’s also in the International Drug Conventions. Rescheduling is the basis for sensible, rational and proportionate laws and public policy around the world. That is the way to really end the drug war, by ending the State lie where they try to keep treating cannabis as a threat to society.
Furthermore, Rivera spotlights that the new measures seek to further “control” cannabis use instead of regulate it. Specifically, Rivera mentions how they need to change the regulation of adult use to responsible personal use instead. The latter still prohibits minors from using cannabis while still maximizing personal freedoms. Finally, it is Rivera and his team’s stance that claims the treatise not only need to be changed, but publicly denounced as well. It is a matter of “reparations and transitional justice” according to Rivera. These are both important issues currently being addressed in the United States as legalization measures sweep the nation and are crucial for other countries, like Mexico, to implement as well.
The year 2020 has witnessed some major wins for drug policy around the globe. If you want to learn more about these historic legislative strides and their impact on the psychedelic investment landscape, grab free tickets to the premiere monthly Psychedelic Capital investment conference!

mexico marijuana legalize cannabis equality policy reform


More about Rivera’s Band of Activists and Plantón 420

For those that don’t know, Rivera and his team have established a creatively bold demonstration of protest right outside the Mexican senate. A cannabis “garden” replete with strikingly tall cannabis plants boldly line the entrance to the senate. The area, dubbed “Plantón 420” for the 420 cannabis plants towering outside the entrance, has become something of a smoker’s paradise. Cannabis enthusiasts are able to light up at Plantón 420 without fear of arrest.
This bold flavor of protest demonstrates the ruthless approach Rivera is taking to cannabis policy reform. He is shamelessly presenting the true spirit of decriminalization – fighting for our inherent right to use psychoactive drugs. The suddenly fashionable “cannabis for elite licensees only” attitude will not prevail as long as Rivera is spearheading his working class movement.
Mexico in the 70's was amazing!
 
I bet it was, my friend.
@Baron23 not to bug you however I smoked CANNABIS (MARIJUANA) in a hot boxed sort of frenzy after surfing empty line up’s?
65 FORD MUSTANG fitted with ALOHA SURFBOARD rack’s & widow’s rolled down (electric window’s for surf hippie types).
Crossing the border was a rite of passage back in the daze of fun!
MEXICO was special b-4 it became modern?
COLAS were grown b-4 brick weed transport became a inexpensive way 2-ship 2-la U.S.A.!
If MEXICO legalized marijuana? (Game Changer 4-sure)
The mountain range INDICA with the coast growing SATIVA strong & powerful.
The market for CANNABIS will drop in price increasing it’s popularity!
MEXICO GREEN 2 fix CIVILIZATION
 
@Baron23 not to bug you however I smoked CANNABIS (MARIJUANA) in a hot boxed sort of frenzy after surfing empty line up’s?
65 FORD MUSTANG fitted with ALOHA SURFBOARD rack’s & widow’s rolled down (electric window’s for surf hippie types).
Crossing the border was a rite of passage back in the daze of fun!
MEXICO was special b-4 it became modern?
COLAS were grown b-4 brick weed transport became a inexpensive way 2-ship 2-la U.S.A.!
If MEXICO legalized marijuana? (Game Changer 4-sure)
The mountain range INDICA with the coast growing SATIVA strong & powerful.
The market for CANNABIS will drop in price increasing it’s popularity!
MEXICO GREEN 2 fix CIVILIZATION
Sounds great...yeah, kind of reminds me a bit of the Philippines when I was there in the 70's.
 

Mexican Supreme Court Extends Deadline To Legalize Marijuana As Lawmakers Continue To Advance Bill


The Mexican Supreme Court has again agreed to extend the deadline for lawmakers to legalize marijuana nationally, even as Senate-passed reform legislation advanced this week through at least two Chamber of Deputies committees.

This is just the latest extension the court has approved since it deemed the prohibition on personal use and cultivation of cannabis unconstitutional in 2018 and mandated that Congress end the policy. The Senate passed the legalization bill last month ahead of the earlier December 15 deadline.

But now the court says legislators have until the end of the next session, which starts in February and ends April 30, to enact the reform. This is the fourth deadline the body has imposed. First it was October 2019, then April 2020, then December 2020 and now April 2021.

Overall, the bill would establish a regulated cannabis market, allowing adults 18 and older to purchase and possess up to 28 grams of marijuana and cultivate up to six plants for personal use.

Leaders in the Chamber of Deputies said they needed the postponement to further review the Senate-passed legislation. However, that hasn’t stopped several committees from taking up the bill, with the Human Rights and Budget and Public Account Committees having already considered and advanced it in recent days just before the new deadline extension request.

In her request for the deadline extension, Chamber President Dulce María Sauri Riancho stressed the “complexity of the issue at hand” and added that the coronavirus pandemic “has made it difficult for the legislative process” to move forward “with the depth and care” needed to address the seriousness of the cannabis issue.

“This Chamber of Deputies has been forced to implement extraordinary measures to protect the right to health and life of legislators and other public servants,” she wrote, “which has inevitably affected the work of the committees and of the plenary sessions.”

While advocates are eager for Congress to formally end prohibition, this new delay will give them more time to try to convince legislators to address their concerns about certain provisions of the current bill, namely the limited nature of its social equity components and strict penalties for violating rules.

“It’s disappointing that the two legislative bodies couldn’t have better coordinated their work in order to ensure that they meet the obligation and the deadline made by the Supreme Court,” Zara Snapp, a legalization activist with the Instituto RIA and the coalition #RegulacionPorLaPaz, told Marijuana Moment.

“Since that didn’t happen, we hope that as they work on this in the next legislative session, they will ensure that human rights are at the center as well as improve and expand the opportunities for communities affected by prohibition,” she said, adding that it would be a shame if any additional revisions further benefited transnational corporations instead of local farmers.

There were several revisions made in the Senate prior to last month’s vote, but most of those were technical in nature.

However, there were a number of notable changes, such as an increase from the initial limit of four self-cultivated plants per person and to make it so people who grow cannabis for personal use will not be subject to a requirement to have regulators track plants.

An additional change mandates that the government clear criminal records of people with past cannabis convictions within six months.

Lawmakers also removed a prohibition on owning more than one type of marijuana license, allowing for vertical integration of cannabis businesses. A previous version of the bill would have only allowed people from vulnerable communities to hold more than one license type.

Another modification that advocates are not happy with says that nonprofit associations of consumers that collectively cultivate cannabis must be located at least 500 meters from schools, sports and recreation centers and anywhere that third parties who have not given their consent could be exposed to smoke.

The legalization bill cleared a joint group of Senate committees prior to the full floor vote, with some amendments being made after members informally considered and debated the proposal during a virtual hearing.

Members of the Senate’s Justice, Health, and Legislative Studies Committees had approved a prior version of legal cannabis legislation in March, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed consideration of the issue.

Senate President Eduardo Ramírez previously said that there was a “consensus” to achieve the reform by the court-mandated December deadline, but that did not pan out.

The legislation makes some attempts to mitigate the influence of large marijuana corporations. For example, it states that for the first five years after implementation, at least 40 percent of cannabis business licenses must be granted to those from indigenous, low-income or historically marginalized communities.

The Mexican Institute of Cannabis would be responsible for regulating the market and issuing licenses.

Public consumption of marijuana would be allowed, except in places where tobacco use is prohibited or at mass gatherings where people under 18 could be exposed.

Households where more than one adult lives would be limited to cultivating a maximum of eight plants. The legislation also says people “should not” consume cannabis in homes where there are underaged individuals. Possession of more than 28 grams but fewer than 200 grams would be considered an infraction punishable by a fine but no jail time.

Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salazar of the MORENA party said in April that legalizing cannabis could fill treasury coffers at a time when the economy is recovering from the pandemic.

As lawmakers work to advance the reform legislation, there’s been a more lighthearted push to focus attention on the issue by certain members and activists. That push has mostly involved planting and gifting marijuana.

In September, a top administration official was gifted a cannabis plant by senator on the Senate floor, and she said she’d be making it a part of her personal garden.

A different lawmaker gave the same official, Interior Ministry Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero, a marijuana joint on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies last year.

Cannabis made another appearance in the legislature in August, when Sen. Jesusa Rodríguez of the MORENA party decorated her desk with a marijuana plant.

Drug policy reform advocates have also been cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants in front of the Senate, putting pressure on legislators to make good on their pledge to advance legalization.
 

Mexico moves closer to becoming the world's largest legal cannabis market

"We're taking away this beautiful plant from criminals and putting in the hands of retailers and farmers," said former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

Mexico is inching closer to becoming the world's largest legal cannabis market as lawmakers prepare to debate a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana.

The Chamber of Deputies, Congress' lower house similar to the U.S. House of Representatives, will take up the issue early next week, Martha Tagle Martínez, a member of the chamber's health committee, said in a series of tweets.

The Senate approved the legalization of medical marijuana almost four months ago, and two months later, the Health Ministry published rules to regulate the use of medicinal cannabis.

Former President Vicente Fox, who is on the board of global medical marijuana company Khiron Life Sciences Corp., said he sees the potential for Mexico to cash in on much-needed job creation, economic investment and medical advancements.

A regulated market could also help to lessen the cartel violence that has become synonymous with the country.

"Many great things will happen," he said. "We're taking away this beautiful plant from criminals and putting in the hands of retailers and farmers."

Mexico has been steadily marching toward creating a cannabis market since 2015, when a federal judge ruled in favor of importing cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, for medical reasons. The ruling stemmed from a case involving a young girl suffering from a severe form of epilepsy.

The parents of the girl, Grace Elizalde, who was 8 years old at the time, had tried just about everything to treat her Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which triggered 400 seizures a day. At their most desperate, the family drove three hours to Laredo, Texas, to acquire Cosyntropin, a synthetic peptide that can be used to treat seizures. The medication cost more than $5,000, said Grace's father, Raul Elizalde, who is now the president of the international CBD company HempMeds.

Elizalde eventually reached out to a Mexican lawmaker who publicly supported adopting cannabis legislation in Mexico after Washington state and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana. That lawmaker, Fernando Belaunzarán, wrote a letter to Mexico's health secretary on behalf of the Elizalde family, seeking permission to import cannabis oil for Grace's treatment.

Initially, the Health Ministry declined the request, but a federal judge stepped in and allowed Elizalde to import CBD.

"There was not a lot of information back then in 2015," Elizalde said. "It was hard to find any information about cannabis, especially CBD."

Elizalde said Grace's doctor had been interested in research taking place around the world on CBD as a potential treatment for epilepsy and thought it was worth a try for his daughter, who is now 13. Her seizures have decreased to about 20 on a bad day, Elizalde said.

In 2017, Enrique Peña Nieto, the president at the time, signed a bill allowing the medical use of marijuana products containing less than 1 percent of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. The bill also called on the Health Ministry to draft and implement regulations for the nascent industry.

It took three more years for Mexico to finalize regulations. During that time, public perception gradually shifted as more families spoke publicly about using cannabis-derived medication to treat various ailments.

"The domino effect is happening," Fox said. "The No. 1 challenge is to convey, inform and educate consumers and patients. And also educate the medical community. There is still some hesitancy in Mexican culture."

In a poll published last year in the newspaper El Financiero, 58 percent of respondents opposed full legalization. But among respondents under age 40, more than half said they were in favor of legalizing cannabis.

"Mexico is changing," Elizalde said. "We never thought we would change the law. Now it's changing faster than we thought possible."

While the road to full legalization appears to have accelerated, especially compared to the U.S.'s debate over the so-called war on drugs, Mexico's path has not necessarily been driven by public or political demand. Instead, Mexico's Supreme Court issued a series of five rulings declaring the ban on the consumption of cannabis unconstitutional.

Under Mexican law, the number of decisions needed to set a precedent is five.

"Mexico went down the legalization path because of a quirk in the way their judicial system works," said Andrew Rudman, director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan research organization.

While the court's mandate forced lawmakers to build a framework for regulating cannabis, it did not necessarily create a desire among elected officials to do so quickly.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador campaigned on the promise to change the country's approach to its drug war, including negotiating peace and amnesty for people involved in or affected by the illegal drug trade. Despite his campaign promises, legalizing cannabis is not necessarily a top priority, Rudman said.
"It was more that the court basically said to the Congress, 'You have to do this,'" he said.

With the clock ticking for Mexico to finalize both its medical and recreational cannabis programs, the U.S. could be left in an awkward position if its neighbors to the north and the south each have legal frameworks in place. Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018; marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug in the U.S.

"It creates some really interesting trade issues," Rudman said. "Mexico legalizing is going to strengthen the push for, if not legalization, decriminalization in the U.S."

The Chamber of Deputies has until the end of April to comply with the court mandate to legalize cannabis.
Alicia
 

Mexico moves closer to becoming the world's largest legal cannabis market

"We're taking away this beautiful plant from criminals and putting in the hands of retailers and farmers," said former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

Mexico is inching closer to becoming the world's largest legal cannabis market as lawmakers prepare to debate a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana.

The Chamber of Deputies, Congress' lower house similar to the U.S. House of Representatives, will take up the issue early next week, Martha Tagle Martínez, a member of the chamber's health committee, said in a series of tweets.

The Senate approved the legalization of medical marijuana almost four months ago, and two months later, the Health Ministry published rules to regulate the use of medicinal cannabis.

Former President Vicente Fox, who is on the board of global medical marijuana company Khiron Life Sciences Corp., said he sees the potential for Mexico to cash in on much-needed job creation, economic investment and medical advancements.

A regulated market could also help to lessen the cartel violence that has become synonymous with the country.

"Many great things will happen," he said. "We're taking away this beautiful plant from criminals and putting in the hands of retailers and farmers."

Mexico has been steadily marching toward creating a cannabis market since 2015, when a federal judge ruled in favor of importing cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, for medical reasons. The ruling stemmed from a case involving a young girl suffering from a severe form of epilepsy.

The parents of the girl, Grace Elizalde, who was 8 years old at the time, had tried just about everything to treat her Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which triggered 400 seizures a day. At their most desperate, the family drove three hours to Laredo, Texas, to acquire Cosyntropin, a synthetic peptide that can be used to treat seizures. The medication cost more than $5,000, said Grace's father, Raul Elizalde, who is now the president of the international CBD company HempMeds.

Elizalde eventually reached out to a Mexican lawmaker who publicly supported adopting cannabis legislation in Mexico after Washington state and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana. That lawmaker, Fernando Belaunzarán, wrote a letter to Mexico's health secretary on behalf of the Elizalde family, seeking permission to import cannabis oil for Grace's treatment.

Initially, the Health Ministry declined the request, but a federal judge stepped in and allowed Elizalde to import CBD.

"There was not a lot of information back then in 2015," Elizalde said. "It was hard to find any information about cannabis, especially CBD."

Elizalde said Grace's doctor had been interested in research taking place around the world on CBD as a potential treatment for epilepsy and thought it was worth a try for his daughter, who is now 13. Her seizures have decreased to about 20 on a bad day, Elizalde said.

In 2017, Enrique Peña Nieto, the president at the time, signed a bill allowing the medical use of marijuana products containing less than 1 percent of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. The bill also called on the Health Ministry to draft and implement regulations for the nascent industry.

It took three more years for Mexico to finalize regulations. During that time, public perception gradually shifted as more families spoke publicly about using cannabis-derived medication to treat various ailments.

"The domino effect is happening," Fox said. "The No. 1 challenge is to convey, inform and educate consumers and patients. And also educate the medical community. There is still some hesitancy in Mexican culture."

In a poll published last year in the newspaper El Financiero, 58 percent of respondents opposed full legalization. But among respondents under age 40, more than half said they were in favor of legalizing cannabis.

"Mexico is changing," Elizalde said. "We never thought we would change the law. Now it's changing faster than we thought possible."

While the road to full legalization appears to have accelerated, especially compared to the U.S.'s debate over the so-called war on drugs, Mexico's path has not necessarily been driven by public or political demand. Instead, Mexico's Supreme Court issued a series of five rulings declaring the ban on the consumption of cannabis unconstitutional.

Under Mexican law, the number of decisions needed to set a precedent is five.

"Mexico went down the legalization path because of a quirk in the way their judicial system works," said Andrew Rudman, director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan research organization.

While the court's mandate forced lawmakers to build a framework for regulating cannabis, it did not necessarily create a desire among elected officials to do so quickly.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador campaigned on the promise to change the country's approach to its drug war, including negotiating peace and amnesty for people involved in or affected by the illegal drug trade. Despite his campaign promises, legalizing cannabis is not necessarily a top priority, Rudman said.
"It was more that the court basically said to the Congress, 'You have to do this,'" he said.

With the clock ticking for Mexico to finalize both its medical and recreational cannabis programs, the U.S. could be left in an awkward position if its neighbors to the north and the south each have legal frameworks in place. Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018; marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug in the U.S.

"It creates some really interesting trade issues," Rudman said. "Mexico legalizing is going to strengthen the push for, if not legalization, decriminalization in the U.S."

The Chamber of Deputies has until the end of April to comply with the court mandate to legalize cannabis.
Alicia
Mexico will be a low cost producer since the climates are ideal for CANNABIS.
INDICA along the foot hill’s (Colima in SPANISH).
SATIVA in the desert’s or near the coastline?
OUTDOOR will keep operating cost down.
Rest of da world willl be late 2 da party?
MARIJUANA will make more $ than beer or tequila!
 

Mexico Marijuana Legalization Bill Advances In Senate For Second Day In A Row


A bill to legalize marijuana in Mexico moved another step closer to final floor consideration in the Senate on Tuesday.

While the chamber approved the legislation last year, it then passed in revised form in the Chamber of Deputies last month and was sent back to the Senate for final consideration. On Tuesday, a second Senate committee advanced the amended legislation, with one more panel set to take it up before it moves to the floor.

The Second Legislative Studies Committee approved the bill one day after the Justice Committee cleared it. The next stop for the proposal is the Health Committee, which could happen as soon as Wednesday—setting up potential action by the full body on Thursday.

As in the prior panel, several members of the latest committee expressed concerns about certain changes to the bill made in the Chamber of Deputies. Sen. Jesusa Rodríguez Ramírez of the ruling MORENA party, for example, said there are “inconsistencies” in the measure, but she said it was important to advance it nonetheless.

There’s pressure on the legislature to get the bill enacted in to law—and soon. The Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition on the use and cultivation of cannabis is unconstitutional in 2018, and it ordered lawmakers to change the policy.

While legislators were initially given a deadline to legalize marijuana by early 2019, the court has accepted multiple requests for extensions. The latest deadline is set for the end of April.

Due to that urgency, Sen. Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar of the ruling MORENA party said last month that “at this time, it is important to legislate in the terms that are presented to us” and then consider additional revisions to cannabis laws through subsequent bills.

Meanwhile, however, Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal Avila said there is a “thorough review” underway by committees in the body about “whether this law will contribute to a decrease in crime and a decrease in fatalities.”

He said on Tuesday that “we believe that there are some inconsistencies” in the revised bill from the Chamber of Deputies, “but we also have in front of us the mandate of the court.” He added that if lawmakers fail to pass the legislation, “the court can declare the unconstitutionality of the law,” which would result in “more chaos and more disorder.”

Under the proposal, adults 18 and older would be allowed to purchase and possess up to 28 grams of marijuana and cultivate up to six plants for personal use. But deputies have made revisions to the initial Senate-approved version, including to the regulatory structure, rules for the commercial market and licensing policies, among other components.

One of the most notable changes is that the revised bill would not establish a new independent regulatory body to oversee the licensing and implementation of the program as was approved by the Senate. Instead, it would give that authority to an existing agency, the National Commission Against Addictions.

Deputies also approved additional revisions to increase penalties for unauthorized possession of large amounts of cannabis, prevent forest land from being converted to marijuana growing areas and to require regulators to “coordinate campaigns against problematic cannabis use and…develop permanent actions to deter and prevent its use by minors and vulnerable groups.”

Advocates had hoped for more. Throughout this legislative process, they’ve called for changes to further promote social equity and eliminate strict penalties for violating the law.

While the bill would give priority for licenses to marginalized communities, advocates are worried that there might not be strict and specific enough criteria to actually ensure that ends up being the case. They also pushed for an amendment to make it so a specific percentage of licenses would be set aside for those communities, but that did not happen.

Monreal Avila, the Senate majority leader, said ahead of the Chamber of Deputies vote that there “is no problem if they modify the cannabis law, we have no problem.”

“That is their job and their function. And on the return we will review whether or not they are appropriate,” he said, according to a translation. “The idea is to regulate the use of cannabis and not ignore a prohibitionist approach that generated a great social problem in the country.”

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, for his part, said in December that a vote on legalization legislation was delayed due to minor “mistakes” in the proposal.

The legalization bill cleared a joint group of Senate committees prior to the full floor vote in that chamber last year, with some amendments being made after members informally considered and debated the proposal during a virtual hearing.

Members of the Senate’s Justice, Health, and Legislative Studies Committees had approved a prior version of legal cannabis legislation last year as well, but the pandemic delayed consideration of the issue. Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salazar of the MORENA party said in April that legalizing cannabis could fill treasury coffers at a time when the economy is recovering from the health crisis.

As lawmakers work to advance the reform legislation, there’s been a more lighthearted push to focus attention on the issue by certain members and activists. That push has mostly involved planting and gifting marijuana.

In September, a top administration official was gifted a cannabis plant by senator on the Senate floor, and she said she’d be making it a part of her personal garden.

A different lawmaker gave the same official, Interior Ministry Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero, a marijuana joint on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies in 2019.

Cannabis made another appearance in the legislature in August, when Sen. Jesusa Rodríguez of the MORENA party decorated her desk with a marijuana plant.

Drug policy reform advocates have also been cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants in front of the Senate, putting pressure on legislators to make good on their pledge to advance legalization.
 

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