Lawmakers released draft legislation, last week, for the implementation of a legal Mexican Cannabis market. The proposed legislation is set to be finalised in the coming days.
Mexico’s new draft legislation could lay the framework for the largest legal Cannabis market in the world. The country is home to more than 130 million people – more than three times the population of Canada.
Released on October 17th, the 42-page draft legislation outlines a number of key points of legalisation of the drug, including rules for possession, purchase, and cultivation. The daft covers both the recreational market and the medical market for Cannabis.
Notable points of the proposed Mexican Cannabis framework include:
- Adults aged 18+ will be able to consume and purchase Cannabis from licensed retailers and cultivate up to four marijuana plants.
- A federal body — the “Cannabis Institute” — will be established to issue cultivation licenses, set potency limits, enforce the new laws, and set regulations.
- Marijuana plants must be cultivated without the use of pesticides.
- Packaging for cannabis will be monitored and heavily restricted.
- Cannabis consumption will only be permitted in private spaces.
- Licensing priority will go first towards local farmers, low-income earners, and Indigenous peoples.
The heads of the Health, Justice, Public Security, and Legislative Studies Committees are due to vote on the legislation in the coming days. It was announced that decisionmakers would remain in permanent session to complete the bill. The deadline for completion, set by the Supreme Court, is October 24th.
Legislation follows the Supreme Court’s decision that the prohibition of Cannabis was “unconstitutional”. It claims that the people of Mexico (aged 18+) have the right to engage in recreational activities without interference.
Lawmakers also believe that legalisation and regulation of Cannabis will help to reduce drug-related crime, fight poverty, and increase revenues. With support from the country’s Senate, the bill would legalise the use, distribution, and cultivation of Cannabis.
To read the full Draft Legislation, follow the link.
