{"id":3063,"date":"2021-12-15T19:59:08","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T19:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=187928"},"modified":"2021-12-15T19:59:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T19:59:08","slug":"heres-why-marijuana-still-isnt-legal-in-mexico-but-could-be-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3063","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s why marijuana still isn\u2019t legal in Mexico (but could be soon)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Here&#8217;s why marijuana still isn&#8217;t legal in Mexico (but could be soon) &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v17.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">After raising hopes that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/mexico-has-a-new-marijuana-legalization-bill-heres-whats-in-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legalization bill<\/a> would be passed by the end of 2021, Mexico\u2019s Congressional leaders late last week admitted that such a feat would not be accomplished. Full legalization may&nbsp;have to wait until 2022.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mexico\u2019s Supreme Court (Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Naci\u00f3n, or SCJN) famously struck down the nation\u2019s prohibition on cannabis in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/exclusive-leafly-has-obtained-the-full-mexico-supreme-court-rulin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2015<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/is-marijuana-legal-in-mexico-after-supreme-court-ruling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in 2018<\/a>, and again this past summer. <\/p>\n<p>So why is it still not fully legal to enjoy marijuana in the <em>mota<\/em> motherland?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Because politicians are involved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/strains-products\/6-cannabis-strains-with-mexican-heritage\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>5 cannabis strains with a Mexican heritage<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-prohibition-struck-down-in-2015-2018-and-2021-and-yet\">Prohibition struck down in 2015, 2018, and 2021, and yet\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>The nation\u2019s highest court most recently invalidated laws banning the private use and home cultivation of recreational cannabis on human rights grounds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2021\/jun\/28\/mexicos-high-court-strikes-down-laws-that-ban-use-of-recreational-marijuana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in June 2021<\/a>. That ruling ordered the nation\u2019s Congress to draft laws to create a legal cannabis market\u2014something Mexico\u2019s leaders have failed to do since the court\u2019s original ruling striking down prohibition in 2017.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court specifically called for a permit system\u2014creating a state-issued card allowing the bearer to legally possess and consume cannabis\u2014which is supposed&nbsp;to be up and running next year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But today, more than six months after the court\u2019s most recent ruling, very little has changed. The permit system does not exist. Mexico\u2019s lawmakers still bicker over a long-delayed bill that would officially end cannabis prohibition nationwide.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The upshot: Cannabis smokers are still criminalized. Police can and do stop individuals for cannabis possession, despite the Supreme Court\u2019s rulings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/lifestyle\/a-visitors-guide-to-not-quite-legal-weed-in-mexico\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>A visitor\u2019s guide to (not quite) legal weed in Mexico<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-not-much-has-changed\">\u2018Not much has changed\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIn reality, not much has changed to cannabis laws beyond the fact that now you can ask for permission to plant cannabis in your own house without going through a legal process,\u201d says Zara Snapp, co-founder of drug policy reform think tank Instituto RIA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs of right now, nothing related to recreational cannabis is legal unless you have permission and no-one has been given it beyond those who took their cases to the courts,\u201d Snapp added. \u201cWe are waiting for the government to officially respond to the legal changes from the supreme court.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After the Supreme Court repeatedly forced its hand, Mexican lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/y3gbvy\/mexico-just-postponed-the-legalization-of-weed-to-2021due-to-covid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">almost<\/a> legalized cannabis in Dec. 2020, when the Senate passed a full bill. That effort then stalled in the lower house, Mexico\u2019s C\u00e1mara de Diputados.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-bickering-apathy-and-pandemic-fueling-delay\">Bickering, apathy, and pandemic fueling delay<\/h2>\n<p>A number of factors have delayed passage of a full legalization bill in 2021: the coronavirus pandemic, a lack of political will, minor disagreements, and elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>\u2018Prohibition is a hundred years old; what\u2019s a few months more?\u2019 <br \/>\u2013 <em>Senate leader Ricardo Monreal<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As summer gave way to autumn, hopes were raised again. Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal, from the ruling Morena party, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/senadomexicano\/status\/1458185138760605698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1458185138760605698%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marijuanamoment.net%2Ftop-mexican-senator-blames-u-s-for-marijuana-criminalization-ahead-of-legalization-vote-expected-next-month%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said in November that<\/a> a constitutionally sound, \u201chigh-level, progressive\u201d cannabis bill would be completed by the Senate\u2019s health and justice committees within the next few weeks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Monreal\u2019s comments were an optimistic sign, as his party effectively controls both parliamentary houses. Tweets by the chamber\u2019s official account indicated that the legalization bill had been prioritized by senators, who were aiming to pass it before the end of the year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Those hopes were dashed on Dec. 10, when Monreal acknowledged the Senate would not be able to vote on a new bill. That bill had been circulating unofficially among lawmakers for a few weeks. <\/p>\n<p>Monreal suggested that officials redrafting a previous version were not able to prepare it in time in a form that would be likely to pass.&nbsp;\u201cWell, [cannabis] prohibition is a hundred years old, so what if it\u2019s a few months more,\u201d he said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eluniversal.com.mx\/nacion\/senado-aplaza-debate-sobre-la-regulacion-de-la-marihuana?utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=social_buttons&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing&amp;utm_content=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">when asked<\/a> about the fresh postponement.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/mexico-has-a-new-marijuana-legalization-bill-heres-whats-in-it\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Mexico has a new marijuana legalization bill. Here\u2019s what\u2019s in it<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-early-to-mid-2022-passage-now-likely\">Early to mid-2022 passage now likely<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the missed deadline, Senate leaders still appear&nbsp; determined moving toward passage of a legalization bill in 2022. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe law will be passed by the end of April at the latest,\u201d predicted Sen. Patricia Mercado, from the Citizens Movement party, as she acknowledged the likelihood of further ping-pong. Highlighting another issue which has divided lawmakers, after thousands of people have been&nbsp; persecuted over&nbsp; small amounts of cannabis over a number of years, she added: \u201cWe want the total decriminalization of the plant.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-expect-battles-over-market-framework\">Expect battles over market framework<\/h2>\n<p>Monreal has previously welcomed the idea that \u201cone hundred years of prohibitionist policy and criminalization of the consumption of the cannabis flower\u201d could soon end and be replaced by \u201ca multimillion dollar market nationally and internationally, which could be beneficial for the economic reactivation of our country.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Senate leader has repeatedly warned, however, that lawmakers should not be swayed by industry lobbying over the potentially lucrative recreational market. \u201cThere are economic interests, there are lobbyists\u2019 interests, there are tobacco industry interests, there are pharmaceutical industry interests, there are industrial interests,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canaldelcongreso.gob.mx\/noticias\/14120\/Perfilan_solicitar_nueva_prrroga_para_legislar_sobre_cannabis_en_Senado\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in April, later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/top-mexican-senator-lays-out-next-steps-for-national-marijuana-legalization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adding<\/a>: \u201cWe must not allow ourselves to be pressured by interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-new-bill-isn-t-perfect\">The new bill isn\u2019t perfect<\/h2>\n<p>The most recent version of the bill, which has been moving back and forth between the two legislative branches, and is now set to reenter the legislature in January 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabis.senado.gob.mx\/images\/pdf\/anteproyecto_LRC.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">proposes<\/a> to improve Mexican public health and foster a greater respect for human rights by legalizing and regulating cannabis.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>Some have called for complete decriminalization, with no laws against high-volume growing and possession.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The new bill has been criticized, though, for a number of restrictive provisions. <\/p>\n<p>Smoking cannabis would only be permitted in private spaces, for instance, and only where everyone present has consented. It also proposes fines of up to US$500 for people in possession of more than an ounce, and prison sentences for those with more than 200 grams. Farmers found cultivating without a license would also risk a potential jail term of up to six years. Those stiff penalties have provoked an increasing number of calls for complete decriminalization.<\/p>\n<p>The new bill also contains proposals to assist victims of the drug war and ensure that 40% of grow licenses would (for at least five years) go to people like campesino cannabis farmers whose crops had previously been eradicated. The new bill does not contain strong protections against cannabis imports, though, which would protect those same domestic farmers. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-limited-cannabis-associations\">Limited \u2018cannabis associations\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Another twist in the new bill: Cannabis associations with up to 20 members and four plants per person\u2014similar to the Spanish model\u2014would exist alongside a commercial market overseen by the National Commission Against Drug Addiction. Many legalization advocates claim it would be unconstitutional to limit the number of members at a lawful civil association.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are antique car associations with thousands of members, for example. So why can you not have more than 20 people for cannabis? It\u2019s unconstitutional,\u201d says Jorge Hern\u00e1ndez Tinajero, a political scientist at Mexico\u2019s national autonomous university and president of the Mexican Association of Cannabis Studies. \u201cThey have been framing the bills in an absurd way so that they cannot be passed.\u201d He suggests that these clauses could be part of an effort to make any future laws amenable to big business.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-companies-getting-ready-to-jump-in\">Companies getting ready to jump in<\/h2>\n<p>The Colombian-Canadian company Khiron Life Sciences (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elfinanciero.com.mx\/nacional\/2021\/06\/10\/roberto-palazuelos-y-vicente-fox-se-asocian-en-el-negocio-de-productos-de-mariguana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">represented<\/a> by one of its board members, former Mexican President Vincente Fox), Canada\u2019s Canopy Growth, the Green Organic Dutchman, and various California companies are among those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/mexico-president-floats-referendum-option-recreational-marijuana-after-court-2021-06-29\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">assessing<\/a> whether to move into any future legal Mexican market. A potential 400 stores in main hubs across the country have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elfinanciero.com.mx\/nacional\/2021\/06\/10\/roberto-palazuelos-y-vicente-fox-se-asocian-en-el-negocio-de-productos-de-mariguana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> been earmarked for opening to sell CBD and legal cannabis products over the next three years by a Mexican company that has also partnered with Vicente Fox.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have seen the same in other countries such as Canada,\u201d adds Tinajero. \u201cOnce lawmakers understand policies have to change, they first create legislation that is very restrictive for most people. Then their allies can become the first actors in the market.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>More on marijuana in Mexico<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/heres-why-marijuana-still-isnt-legal-in-mexico-but-could-be-soon.jpg\" alt=\"Mattha Busby's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Mattha Busby<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Mattha Busby is a freelance writer based in Mexico. His work has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Vice, GQ, and other publications.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/mattha-busby\">View Mattha Busby&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-12-15 20:09:30 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s why marijuana still isn&#8217;t legal in Mexico (but could be soon) &#8211; Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. After raising hopes that a legalization bill would be passed by the end of 2021, Mexico\u2019s Congressional leaders late last week admitted that such a feat would not be accomplished. Full legalization may&nbsp;have to&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/heres-why-marijuana-still-isnt-legal-in-mexico-but-could-be-soon.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}