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Great ruling. But don't jump up and move to Mexico yet.
A few more steps are required. Unlike the United States, Mexican federal law requires five consecutive rulings on the same issue and in the same direction to create jurisprudence eventually declaring a law unconstitutional.
Source Also see: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Mexico's Supreme Court legalizes cannabis for recreational use By Patrick Timmons MEXICO CITY, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Drug policy reformers claimed victory in Mexico City Wednesday after the country's Supreme Court handed down two rulings legalizing cannabis for all forms of non-commercial adult use. "The rulings pave the way for adults to use marijuana in any way they see fit. We aren't just talking about recreational use," Froylán Enciso, a drug policy researcher at Mexico's social sciences institute, the CIDE, told UPI. In the first case, a plaintiff wanting to grow his own marijuana applied to the court for an "amparo," a form of constitutional protection from prosecution, so that he can plant, cultivate, harvest, prepare, possess and transport marijuana. In the second case, another plaintiff also applied for an amparo to consume marijuana for recreational purposes. The two different plaintiffs aimed to declare unconstitutional Mexico's federal health and penal laws concerning the use of marijuana for non-medical purposes. "The court has found that marijuana can be used for rituals, for recreational use, for medical use, at work, for scientific investigations. For any adult use and that it cannot be penalized," Enciso said. The drug policy researcher said most people in prison in Mexico for drug crimes are incarcerated for possessing marijuana. "The Mexican government has not put violent criminals in prison but people who smoke small quantities on street corners or outside," Enciso said, "so these decisions will benefit many small consumers." The rulings come after years of strategic litigation by Mexican drug policy activists starting in 2015. Unlike the United States, Mexican federal law requires five consecutive rulings on the same issue and in the same direction to create jurisprudence eventually declaring a law unconstitutional. The next step toward legalization of cannabis for non-commercial purposes is that the Supreme Court must inform Mexico's Congress within 90 days that prohibiting adult use is unconstitutional. Congress then has to reform the laws the court found unconstitutional. If Congress does not act, every adult prosecuted for using marijuana can also apply for protection from the judicial system. "The rulings create jurisprudence but they do not in themselves amount to changes in legislation," Enciso said. "Even so they are very important not just for Mexico but for the United States." "When Congress declares marijuana prohibition unconstitutional in Mexico," the drug policy researcher said, "the federal government of the United States will be the only prohibitionist jurisdiction left in North America. Canada now has legal marijuana. More than 30 states in the U.S. have some form of marijuana legalization. And now with Mexico legalizing consumption and production, the only drug warriors remaining in North America are President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions." In both cases decided Wednesday the Supreme Court's justices ruled 4-1 in favor of granting adults the right to use marijuana for non-commercial purposes. The one justice who ruled against the plaintiffs argued adult use must not infringe upon the rights of others.
So in February we should have a firm idea of what legalized marijuana in Mexico is like. The Mexican Congress now has 90 days to rewrite the nation’s drug laws to comply with the rulings, “at which point the reform will assume de jure status,” according to Transform. Mexico’s Supreme Court overturns country’s ban on recreational marijuana By Christopher Ingraham November 1 at 3:04 PM The Supreme Court of Mexico issued two rulings on Wednesday that effectively overturn the country’s ban on the recreational use of marijuana. The rulings follow similar decisions in three previous cases, going back to 2015. Under Mexican law, five such decisions set a binding precedent nationally. “This 5th judgement means that, while the cannabis prohibition law nominally remains in place for now (and arrests remain possible), all judges nationally are now bound by the Supreme Court judgement as a defense in the (now much less likely) scenario of prosecutions being brought,” according to Transform, a think tank that was part of the effort to overturn the ban. “The legalisation of cannabis for adult personal use, possession, private cultivation and sharing is therefore currently de facto (in practical effect), rather than de jure (formalised in law/legislation).” In a news release translated by Transform, the court said that “the fundamental right to the free development of the personality allows the persons of legal age to decide — without any interference — what kind of recreational activities they wish to carry out and protect all the actions necessary to materialize that choice." The right to the free development of the personality is a concept from the country’s constitution, amounting to something like a right to self-determination. As in previous cases, the court ruled this week that preventing individuals from using the drug violates their individual autonomy, particularly because marijuana use does not present enough risk to users or to others to justify keeping it outlawed. “The effects caused by marijuana do not justify an absolute prohibition on its consumption,” the court said. The Mexican Congress now has 90 days to rewrite the nation’s drug laws to comply with the rulings, “at which point the reform will assume de jure status,” according to Transform. It remains unclear what Congress will do in response to the ruling. While it could set up a system involving taxation and commercial sales, it could also adopt a more limited approach that would make marijuana possession and use legal but not sales. That’s similar to the regulatory situation in Vermont and the District of Columbia. The ruling in Mexico means that there is now a continuous line of legalization jurisdictions along the western coast of North America, running from north of the Arctic Circle to south of the Tropic of Cancer. Voters in North Dakota and Michigan will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana next week, while lawmakers in New Jersey hope to legalize marijuana through the state legislature by the year’s end.
Mexico Supreme Court Rules Ban On Recreational Marijuana As ‘Unconstitutional’ It will now be up to lawmakers to formally legalize the drug.
Mexico City, Mexico on May 5, MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ― 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. Announcing it had found in favor of two legal challenges filed against prohibition of recreational marijuana use, Mexico’s top court crossed the threshold needed to create jurisprudence: five similar rulings on the matter. That creates a precedent other Mexican courts will have to follow. “This is a historic day,” Fernando Belaunzaran, an advocate of drug reform and member of the opposition leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), said. The Supreme Court made its first ruling to allow a group of people to grow marijuana for personal use in November 2015. 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. The court ordered federal health regulator COFEPRIS to authorize people seeking the right to use marijuana to do so personally, “albeit without allowing them to market it, or use other narcotics or psychotropic drugs.” Congress would now have to act to regulate the use of marijuana in Mexico, Belaunzaran 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. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito and Dave Graham; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Great ruling by the Mexican Supreme Court, but marijuana is not 100% legal in Mexico yet. Gran fallo de la Corte Suprema de México, pero la marihuana aún no es 100% legal en México. I used Google Translate to translate the article from Spanish to English. Three keys to the ruling of the Mexican Supreme Court on marijuana PABLO FERRI Mexico 1 NOV 2018 - 14:38 EDT This Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico protected three citizens who denounced that several articles of the General Health Law are unconstitutional. The articles in question prohibit the production and consumption of marijuana. The Court has decided that these precepts limit the free development of the personality and has endorsed the petition of the plaintiffs. With the decisions of yesterday, there are already five decisions that the First Chamber of the Court takes in the same sense. That is, five cases in which the plaintiffs, in total nine people, obtain de facto permission to produce and consume marijuana. The accumulation of five related sentences generates jurisprudence. This means that the judges must decide from now on according to the decisions of the court. This ruling has caused a lot of doubts and questions, especially in the case of jurisprudence. THE COUNTRY tries to answer them. 1. The protected ones, how are they going to get marijuana? It's the question everyone asks since yesterday. Those protected have received permission to use cannabis, to transport it, to produce it, but where do they get it from? Buying marijuana in Mexico is still illegal, even for them. According to some of the plaintiffs, the solution points to the import of seeds. Aram Barra, one of the two graced this Wednesday, explains that the sentence allows him to "procure marijuana from a legal source in the health system." Barra says he is not sure this exists. "I am going to try to get an import permit granted by Cofepris", the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks. A permit to import seeds. Cofepris is the agency in charge of issuing this type of permits. During the current government, he already granted a license to import medicines made from one of the components of marijuana, the CBD. This medicine is used as a treatment in diseases such as epilepsy. There are already several covered in the processing of the import permit. In a few months, a Mexican or Mexican will import marijuana seeds to the country legally for the first time. 2. The covered ones, can they smoke in the street without problem? It is not clear. Barra considers: "No, we can not smoke in a public space, nor with minors." For me, moreover, "he clarifies," it remains illegal until the sentence is published. Once published, if I took marijuana down the street and the police stopped me, they could not stop me. There is a document that they issue and I can print it and carry it in my portfolio. " Andrés Aguinaco, attorney for the plaintiffs, says however that the permits to consume and transport marijuana, also granted by Cofepris as of the sentences, are ambiguous. The permissions say that cannabis can not be consumed in "public places where third parties are found that have not given their authorization". Aguinaco says: "I do not think anyone will do anything, nobody wants problems with those protected." 3. And the others? Does the jurisprudence established by the five judgments allow any adult to transport and consume marijuana? No. But it makes things easier. Bar says: "The Court should inform the rest of the judges about the jurisprudence, so they can use it, because there are enough people who come to the court for simple possession of marijuana." That is to say, that jurisprudencua obliges the judges to attend to the decision of the Court. In this way, a detainee who arrives at the court accused of possession of marijuana for personal use should be free. Likewise, a person who denounces the unconstitutionality of the law that prohibits the use of cannabis, should obtain the favor of the judge in the first instance, without having to reach the Supreme Court of Justice. Then there is the matter of the change in the law. Aguinaco says that the road is full of obstacles. In summary, two things could happen. First, that Congress, in accordance with the jurisprudence, approve a change in the health law and eliminate some or all of the restrictions indicated by the Court. The second, that Congress does nothing and the Court vote a declaration of unconstitutionality on the controversial articles, de facto obliging deputies and senators to modify the legislation. Although for that, says Aguinaco, there should be a majority of eight court ministers in favor. In addition, he says, it has never happened in Mexico that the Court issues such a declaration. ---- Tres claves del fallo de la Suprema Corte mexicana sobre la marihuana PABLO FERRI México 1 NOV 2018 - 14:38 EDT Este miércoles, la Suprema Corte de Justicia de México amparó a tres ciudadanos que denunciaron que varios artículos de la Ley General de Salud son inconstitucionales. Los artículos en cuestión prohiben la producción y el consumo de marihuana. La Corte ha decidido que estos preceptos limitan el libre desarrollo de la personalidad y ha avalado la petición de los demandantes. Con los fallos de ayer ya son cinco las decisiones que la Primera Sala de la Corte toma en el mismo sentido. Es decir, cinco casos en que los demandantes, en total nueve personas, obtienen de facto el permiso para producir y consumir marihuana. La acumulación de cinco sentencias afines genera jurisprudencia. Esto significa que los jueces deberán decidir a partir de ahora de acuerdo a los fallos de la corte. Esta sentencia ha provocado gran cantidad de dudas y preguntas, sobre todo por el asunto de la jurisprudencia. EL PAÍS trata de responderlas. 1. Los amparados, ¿cómo van a conseguir marihuana? Es la pregunta que se hace todo el mundo desde ayer. Los amparados han recibido permiso para consumir cannabis, para transportarlo, para producirlo, pero, ¿de dónde lo sacan? Comprar marihuana en México sigue siendo ilegal, incluso para ellos. Por lo que cuentan algunos de los demandantes, la solución apunta a la importación de semillas. Aram Barra, uno de los dos agraciados este miércoles, explica que la sentencia le permite "aprovisionarse de marihuana de una fuente legal en el sistema de salud". Barra dice que no está seguro de que esto exista. "Yo voy a intentar conseguir un permiso de importación que otorga Cofepris", la Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios. Un permiso para importar semillas. Cofepris es el organismo encargado de expedir este tipo de permisos. Durante el actual Gobierno, ya otorgó una licencia para importar medicamentos fabricados a base de uno de los componentes de la marihuana, el CBD. Este medicamento se usa como tratamiento en enfermedades como la epilepsia. Ya hay varios amparados embarcados en el trámite del permiso de importación. En unos meses, un mexicano o mexicana importará por primera vez semillas de marihuana al país legalmente. 2. Los amparados, ¿pueden fumar en la calle sin problema? No está claro. Barra considera: "No, no podemos fumar en un espacio público, ni con menores de edad. "Para mi, además", aclara, "sigue siendo ilegal hasta que se publique la sentencia. Una vez publicada, si yo llevara marihuana por la calle y la policía me parara, no me podrían detener. Hay un documento que emiten y lo puedo imprimir y llevar en la cartera". Andrés Aguinaco, abogado de los demandantes, dice sin embargo que los permisos para consumir y transportar marihuana, otorgados igualmente por Cofepris a partir de las sentencias, son ambiguos. Los permisos rezan que no se podrá consumir cannabis en "lugares públicos donde se encuentren terceros que no hayan brindado su autorización". Aguinaco opina: "Yo creo que nadie les va a hacer nada. Nadie quiere problemas con los amparados". 3. ¿Y los demás? ¿La jurisprudencia establecida por los cinco fallos permite que cualquier adulto pueda transportar y consumir marihuana? No. Pero facilita las cosas. Dice Barra: "La Corte debería informar al resto de juzgadores sobre la jurisprudencia, para que la puedan usar. Porque sí son bastantes las personas que llegan al juzgado por posesión simple de marihuana". Es decir, que la jurisprudencua obliga a los jueces a atender la decisión de la Corte. De esta manera, un detenido que llega al juzgado acusado de posesión de marihuana para consumo personal debería quedar libre. Igual, una persona que denuncia la inconstitucionalidad de la ley que prohíbe el consumo de cannabis, debería obtener el favor del juez en primera instancia, sin necesidad de llegar a la Suprema Corte de Justicia. Luego está el asunto del cambio en la ley. Dice Aguinaco que el camino está lleno de trabas. En resumen, podrían ocurrir dos cosas. La primera, que el Congreso, atendiendo a la jurisprudencia, apruebe un cambio en la ley de salud y elimine algunas o todas las restricciones señaladas por la Corte. La segunda, que el Congreso no haga nada y la Corte vote una declaración de inconstitucionalidad sobre los artículos controvertidos, obligando de facto a diputados y senadores a modificar la legislación. Aunque para eso, dice Aguinaco, debería haber una mayoría de ocho ministros de la Corte a favor. Ademas, dice, nunca ha ocurrido en México que la Corte emita una declaración de ese tipo.
It's nice to hear a government official talk like this: Questioned about whether he wants to promote cannabis tourism, as in the case of the Netherlands, the head of tourism was blunt: "They already bring [marijuana], they buy it. But that does not justify a consumer going to jail for consuming marijuana, or being subject to extortion. It's an absurdity, especially with a drug that scientifically less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. " Cuestionado sobre si lo que quiere es fomentar un turismo de cannabis, como el caso de Holanda, el responsable de Turismo fue tajante: “Ya la traen [la marihuana], ya la compran. Pero eso no justifica que un consumidor vaya a la cárcel porque consuma marihuana, o que sea sujeto de extorsiones. Es un absurdo, sobre todo con una droga que científicamente menos dañina que el alcohol o el tabaco”. LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA The Minister of Tourism of Mexico raises the legalization of marijuana in tourist areas to combat violence JAVIER LAFUENTE Mexico 25 JAN 2018 - 5:16 PM EST Enrique de la Madrid, Secretary of Tourism of Mexico, during the interview. JAIME VILLANUEVA The Secretary of Tourism of Mexico, Enrique de la Madrid, said Thursday that marijuana should be legalized in the two main tourist destinations of Mexico, Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo, as a measure to combat the increase in insecurity in these areas. The statements made by the top government official, something unusual until now, reopen the debate on the legalization of marijuana in the middle of the Mexican electoral campaign. MORE INFORMATION The Minister of Tourism of Mexico raises the legalization of marijuana in tourist areas to combat violence Mexico approves the medicinal use of marijuana "If we want different results we have to adopt different measures," he assured at the end of a conference De la Madrid, who has set the example of California, which since the beginning of the year has become the largest market for the legal sale of marijuana in the world. . "Mexico is so big and so diverse that we should start doing certain differentiated exercises, like in the United States." "It is absurd that as a country we do not already take this step. But if everything is hard for the country, I would like to see what can be done in Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo, which do not have to be victims of violence and inadequate treatment of the drug issue in Mexico, "he added. the secretary, member of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and one of the closest collaborators to the president, Enrique Peña Nieto. Hours later, through his Twitter account, De la Madrid said his statements were "a reflection on a personal basis, based on analysis and study of the subject for many years." The proposal of De la Madrid, however, seems little less than chimerical. In order to legalize the production and consumption of marijuana in the two tourist states, the General Health Law should be modified, which transcends the interests that the authorities of Quintana Roo or Baja California Sur could have, which could alleviate the sanctions related to marijuana use. The approach of the tourism manager that legalization would help reduce levels of insecurity is also questionable. Baja California Sur has registered in the last five years an increase in murders of more than 400%: going from 35 homicides in 2012 to 560 in 2017. Another tourist gem, Cancún, in Quintana Roo, has gone from 86 homicides in 2016 to 220 in 2017, almost triple. Questioned about whether he wants to promote cannabis tourism, as in the case of the Netherlands, the head of tourism was blunt: "They already bring [marijuana], they buy it. But that does not justify a consumer going to jail for consuming marijuana, or being subject to extortion. It's an absurdity, especially with a drug that scientifically less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. " Security analysts consider, however, that the increase in violence is not related to the marijuana market. "The markets for cannabis drug dealing do not tend to be violent," says Alejandro Hope, one of the specialists in the field, who estimates that no more than 10% of homicides in Mexico are related to cannabis production. "It is a topic that does not lend itself to occurrences, it is not a security issue, what is needed is a serious, adult and responsible discussion". De la Madrid has put on the table the debate on the legalization of marijuana in the electoral context, before the presidential next July 1. The leader in the polls, the two-time candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, did not want to comment on the proposal of the tourism secretary. "I'm not going to get into that, because then they accuse me until I'm supported by the Russians," he said. For his part, the candidate of Por Mexico to the Front, the PAN Ricardo Anaya, said that "this is a subject that should be treated seriously and not superficially, hemispherically, not only as a country." In the theoretical part, the Secretary of Tourism follows the trail of former Latin American leaders who, for years, seek greater openness in the region regarding the legalization of cannabis, as well as active presidents, such as the Colombian, Juan Manuel Santos, whose Minister of Health, Alejandro Gaviria, is one of the strong advocates of flexibilization. So far, in terms of security, the leader in the polls, the two-time candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, of the Morena party, is the one who has gone the furthest with proposals, even vague ones, such as the possible amnesty for crimes related to drug trafficking or the creation of a National Guard.
LEGALIZACIÓN DE LA MARIHUANA El ministro de Turismo de México plantea la legalización de la marihuana en zonas turísticas para combatir la violencia JAVIER LAFUENTE México 25 ENE 2018 - 17:16 EST JAIME VILLANUEVA El secretario de Turismo de México, Enrique de la Madrid, planteó este jueves que se debería legalizar el consumo de marihuana en los dos principales destinos turísticos de México, Baja California Sur y Quintana Roo, como una medida para combatir el aumento de la inseguridad en estas zonas. Las declaraciones del alto funcionario del Gobierno, algo inusual hasta ahora, reabren el debate sobre la legalización de la marihuana en medio de la campaña electoral mexicana. MÁS INFORMACIÓN El ministro de Turismo de México plantea la legalización de la marihuana en zonas turísticas para combatir la violencia México aprueba el uso medicinal de la marihuana “Si queremos resultados diferentes tenemos que adoptar medidas diferentes”, ha asegurado al término de una conferencia De la Madrid, quien ha puesto el ejemplo de California, que desde principios de año se ha convertido en el mayor mercado de venta legal de marihuana del mundo. “México es tan grande y tan diverso que deberíamos empezar a hacer ciertos ejercicios diferenciados, como en Estados Unidos”. “Es un absurdo que como país no demos ya este paso. Pero si al país todo le cuesta trabajo, me gustaría ver qué se puede hacer en Baja California Sur y Quintana Roo, que no tienen por qué ser víctimas de la violencia y de un trato inadecuado al tema de las drogas en México”, ha añadido el secretario, miembro del gobernante Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) y uno de los colaboradores más cercanos al presidente, Enrique Peña Nieto. Horas después, a través de su cuenta de Twitter, De la Madrid aseguró que sus declaraciones eran “una reflexión a titulo personal, basada en anális y estudio del tema por muchos años”. La propuesta de De la Madrid, no obstante, se antoja poco menos que quimérica. Para legalizar la producción y el consumo de marihuana en los dos Estados turísticos se debería modificar la Ley General de la Salud, que trasciende a los intereses que pudieran tener las autoridades de Quintana Roo o Baja California Sur, que sí podrían aliviar las sanciones relacionadas al consumo de marihuana. El planteamiento del responsable de Turismo de que la legalización ayudaría a rebajar los niveles de inseguridad es también cuestionable. Baja California Sur ha registrado en los últimos cinco años un aumento de los asesinatos de más del 400%: pasando de 35 homicidios en 2012 a 560 en 2017. Otra joya turística, Cancún, en Quintana Roo, ha pasado de 86 homicidios en 2016 a 220 en 2017, casi el triple. Cuestionado sobre si lo que quiere es fomentar un turismo de cannabis, como el caso de Holanda, el responsable de Turismo fue tajante: “Ya la traen [la marihuana], ya la compran. Pero eso no justifica que un consumidor vaya a la cárcel porque consuma marihuana, o que sea sujeto de extorsiones. Es un absurdo, sobre todo con una droga que científicamente menos dañina que el alcohol o el tabaco”. Los analistas en seguridad consideran, sin embargo, que el aumento de la violencia no está relacionada con el mercado de la marihuana. “Los mercados de narcomenudeo de cannabis no tienden a ser violentos”, asegura Alejandro Hope, uno de los especialistas en la materia, quien calcula que no más del 10% de los homicidios en México están relacionados con la producción de cannabis. “Es un tema que no se presta a ocurrencias, no es un tema de seguridad, lo que se necesita es una discusión seria, adulta y responsable”. De la Madrid ha puesto sobre la mesa el debate sobre la legalización de la marihuana en pleno contexto electoral, ante las presidenciales del próximo 1 de julio. El líder en las encuestas, el dos veces candidato Andrés Manuel López Obrador, no quiso pronunciarse sobre la propuesta del secretario de Turismo. "No me voy a meter en eso, porque luego me acusan hasta de que estoy apoyado por los rusos", aseguró. Por su parte, el aspirante de Por México al Frente, el panista Ricardo Anaya, señaló que "este es un tema que se debe tratar con seriedad y no de manera superficial, de manera hemisférica, no solamente como país". En la parte teórica, el secretario de Turismo sigue la estela de exdirigentes latinoamericanos que, desde hace años, buscan una mayor apertura en la región respecto a la legalización del cannabis, al igual que mandatarios en activo, como el colombiano, Juan Manuel Santos, cuyo ministro de Salud, Alejandro Gaviria, es uno de los firmes defensores de la flexibilización. Hasta ahora, en materia de seguridad, el líder en las encuestas, el dos veces candidato Andrés Manuel López Obrador, del partido Morena, es quien ha ido más lejos con propuestas, aún inconcretas, como la posible amnistía de delitos relacionados con el narcotráfico o la creación de una Guardia Nacional.
Mexico Supreme Court Says Ban on Recreational Marijuana Unconstitutional By Reuters Oct. 31, 2018 MEXICO CITY — 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. Announcing it had found in favor of two legal challenges filed against prohibition of recreational marijuana use, Mexico's top court crossed the threshold needed to create jurisprudence: five similar rulings on the matter. That creates a precedent other Mexican courts will have to follow. "This is a historic day," Fernando Belaunzaran, an advocate of drug reform and member of the opposition leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), said. The Supreme Court made its first ruling to allow a group of people to grow marijuana for personal use in November 2015. 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. The court ordered federal health regulator COFEPRIS to authorize people seeking the right to use marijuana to do so personally, "albeit without allowing them to market it, or use other narcotics or psychotropic drugs." Congress would now have to act to regulate the use of marijuana in Mexico, Belaunzaran 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. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito and Dave Graham; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Mexico Court Sets Precedent on Legal, Recreational Pot Use By The Associated Press Oct. 31, 2018 MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Supreme Court issued two more rulings Wednesday ordering that complainants in individual cases be allowed to use marijuana for recreational purposes, establishing a precedent that a blanket prohibition on pot is unconstitutional. The court found that adults have a fundamental right to personal development which lets them decide their recreational activities without interference from the state. "That right is not absolute, and the consumption of certain substances may be regulated, but the effects provoked by marijuana do not justify an absolute prohibition of its consumption," the ruling said. The high court ordered the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk to authorize the complainants to consume marijuana, though not to commercialize it or use other drugs. The two decisions followed three similar ones between 2015 and 2017, and under Mexican law five decisions on a related issue set a standard that applies more broadly. "With the existence of five precedents in the same vein on the subject, the judgment will be mandatory for all courts in the country," the high tribunal concluded. The rulings technically do not legalize recreational use, however. They establish that courts must allow it, but it is still up to each individual to press his or her case in the judicial system. Mexico saw something similar happen in recent years with five Supreme Court rulings establishing a broader precedent allowing same-sex couples to wed, though same-sex marriage has yet to become the law of the land nationwide. Mexico United Against Crime, a group that opposes prohibitionist drug policies, said Wednesday's rulings "open the door to regulation of cannabis" and confirm that "Mexico must move toward the regulation of drugs to improve conditions of justice and peace in the country." Formal legalization would be up to Congress, and the group urged lawmakers to act. "The Supreme Court has done its job. ... The responsibility for issuing the corresponding regulation falls on congress," the group's director general, Lisa Sanchez, said in a statement. Mexico has long been the source of marijuana smuggled into the United States. The rulings from Mexico's Supreme Court come after many U.S. states have legalized pot in recent years for medicinal purposes, recreational use or both.
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