Mexico Issues First Permits To Grow And Use Marijuana


While various states in the U.S. are still having long debates over whether or not they should legalize the sale and use of marijuana, a country to the South of us made a rather big step toward normalizing the regulation of the drug.

On Friday, Mexico issued its first four permits allowing the growth and use of marijuana. The move comes after a landmark Supreme Court ruling in Mexico has allowed for the first steps toward marijuana legalization in the area.

The permit seems to be hinting that Mexico is ready and willing to start relaxing its prohibition of the drug. A health watchdog known as Cofepris did say the permit only applies to the four people named. For now at least, it doesn’t appear as though Mexico is going to be issuing any more permits. The four that were issued on Friday could be looked at as a kind of test case to see what happens on a very small scale.

Members of the organization Mexican Society for Responsible and Tolerant Personal Use (SMART) are pushing for full legalization of marijuana, arguing that it will help reduce the country’s relentless drug violence. The Supreme Court ruling does not actually invoke marijuana legalization in Mexico, but it does seem to have set President Enrique Pena Nieto and Congress on a path that will end with more people being able to get their hands on recreational marijuana before the end of 2016.

For marijuana legalization to really be a thing in Mexico by the end of next year, the country will still have to make some major strides. The four permits that were issued on Friday allow the users to grow and use the drug recreationally, but they are not allowed to sell it. Even the recreational use is extremely limited. Those who have received these permits must not use marijuana in front of children, pregnant women, “or people who do not give their consent.”

The steps towards Mexico’s marijuana legalization could begin as soon as January 2016. President Nieto has said he is personally against legalizing the drug but he wants to have a national debate about the issue. The president is convening a number of those debates between January and March to determine potential legislation regarding marijuana legalization.

Victor has been a freelance writer for a number of years and has covered a broad number of subjects. Among the issues he's most passionate about is politics. That passion has landed him at Liberal America where he's sure he'll be happy for years to come.