Cannabis Legalization Effort Delayed In Mexico

Last year the Supreme Court of Mexico ruled that cannabis prohibition is unconstitutional.

In effect, it somewhat made Mexico the third country to legalize cannabis for adult use. The first country to do so was Uruguay, followed by Canada.

Unlike Uruguay and Canada, Mexico has yet to pass legislation that codifies adult-use cannabis legalization into law.

After its ruling in favor of legalization last year, Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a deadline for lawmakers to pass a comprehensive legalization measure.

Unfortunately, Mexican lawmakers were unable to meet the deadline. Fortunately, they were granted an extension, as reported by Marijuana Moment:

“Just days before the one-year anniversary of a Mexican Supreme Court ruling that deemed the country’s prohibition of personal use or cultivation of marijuana unconstitutional, the judicial body granted an extension of a deadline it imposed on lawmakers to change the policy.

The legislature now has until April 30, 2020 to pass reform legislation, whereas the previous mandate required action by Thursday.”

Mexico will be a massive domino in the effort to end cannabis prohibition worldwide. It is not so much due to Mexico’s population size as much as it’s due to Mexico’s history.

It is no secret that cartels have had a major presence in Mexico for many years. Legalization would shift some cannabis revenues away from cartels and towards legal entrepreneurs and public programs.

The unregulated cannabis market will always exist in Mexico, just as it will likely exist everywhere else to some extent. 

However, every dollar that can be shifted away from cartels to a regulated market that benefits Mexico’s citizenry is a big deal and why legalization is so important in Mexico.

A recent estimate by a ruling party Senator in Mexico projected that legal cannabis would generate up to 18 billion pesos ($945 million USD) for public programs in its first year.