The Supreme Court of Mexico ruled that the prohibition of personal use, possession and private cultivation of cannabis is unconstitutional
Medical cannabis in Mexico. During the last Expoweed Mexico a woman who was over 60 years old called attention. She was pushing a wheelchair in which she transported her 32-year-old daughter, deformed by the disease, while touring all the facilities.
The woman in the wheelchair has lived 32 years of life with seizures and severe pain from the day of her birth since her brain did not receive oxygen during childbirth and the baby was irreversibly affected by cerebral palsy.
The body of this poor woman suffers strong convulsions while her fists are seized. The whole process is very painful and so far the only solution that her mother has found has been cannabis, which relieves pain and reduces the number of seizures. The problem is that medical cannabis is illegal in Mexico.
The mother explains that before resorting to cannabis her daughter had tried very strong painkillers but the only thing that has improved her quality of life has been cannabis. Since her daughter started taking cannabis, the seizures have decreased markedly. The mother, who had never tried marijuana all her life, now declares herself completely in favor of this substance.
This mother is determined to apologize to the Mexican judicial system so that her daughter can legally use cannabis. Last August the Supreme Court of Mexico ordered the Ministry of Health to make public the guidelines that it would follow for the legalization of medical cannabis within six months. This mother is hoping to buy medical cannabis within 180 days and claims to be completely in agreement with the Supreme Court ruling that considers that the prohibition of personal use, possession and private cultivation of cannabis is unconstitutional.
In October 2018, the Supreme Court of Mexico declared that the prohibition of personal use, possession and private cultivation of cannabis is unconstitutional because it violates the fundamental right to free personality development. Activists and others who are in favor of the legalization of cannabis are hopeful that the words of the Supreme Court will encourage Congress to change the laws. In fact, cannabis advocates now hope that Mexican lawmakers will decriminalize marijuana before the end of 2019.
Following the example of some US states that have legalized cannabis, Mexican consumers have been putting pressure for more than 10 years for lawmakers to decriminalize the use of marijuana and its derivatives. Previously these proclamations have been neglected by the Mexican political class, but cannabis users hope that this situation will change with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who took office on December 1. The minister of ionterior has repeatedly called for decriminalization and regulation of illegal drugs in the belief that it is the best way to harm cartels and stop punishing consumers.
Lisa Sánchez, director of “Mexicanos Unidos con el Crimen”, an association that struggles to decriminalize drug use, says that state resources must be used to fight crimes that actually produce victims, such as murders and others violent crimes.
Previously, Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas had decriminalized the use of marijuana and opiates in 1940. But the United States pressed and the consumption of these drugs was penalized again. Numerous drug lords, such as “El Chapo Guzmán”, made great fortunes with marijuana trafficking in the United States. The great fortunes they made with this type of contraband have begun to diminish as several states in the United States have legalized marijuana.
The Mexico SOS association says that Mexico is the second largest cannabis producer in the world. Marijuana crops occupy an area of 16500 hectares (40772 acres). Mexico has the ideal climate for growing marijuana and in addition, labor is very cheap.
Senator Cora Cecilia Pinedo Alonso believes that the legalization of cannabis could produce 12 billion dollars by 2029; a figure that represents half of the current Canadian market. Obviously Mexican businessmen are preparing for the change in the legal status of cannabis, which they expect will occur in 180 days.
The ExpoWeed has been held in Mexico City during the last four years. During the last edition, Brenda Hernández has installed a position to sell paraphernalia products related to cannabis use. In addition to selling some products, she has taken the opportunity to talk about the medicinal benefits of cannabis as she smokes it every day before going to sleep. Brenda says that during her childhood and youth she had too many prejudices towards marijuana and that she despised the people who consumed it. Today, Brenda is the founder of Chicks Vs Stigma, a group of activists that encourages women to use cannabis without being ashamed of it.
Brenda says that all her prejudices disappeared three years ago after her mother used marijuana to relieve severe chronic back pain. Brenda’s mother had such severe pain that even morphine could not relieve.
In a 2018 survey conducted by the Center for Social Studies and Public Opinion in Mexico, respondents were asked about their opinion on the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes and almost 90% said they were in favor. Brenda Hernández is concerned that her use of marijuana is financing drug cartels. She prefers to be able to buy marijuana legally from licensed sellers. Brenda Hernández pays between 30 pesos ($ 1.50) and 400 pesos ($ 20) for every gram of marijuana in the illegal market. There are many Mexicans who hope to have legal access to cannabis within 180 days.
