Mexico may soon be the next country to legalize marijuana as Mexico lawmakers have until December 15 to pass a marijuana bill.
It was two years ago that the Los Angeles Times reported that a Mexico Supreme Court decided that a ban on marijuana was unconstitutional and ordered Mexican lawmakers to legalize marijuana.
The country could become one of the largest legal marijuana markets in the world if this happens.
The bill would allow companies to sell cannabis to the public, limit home cultivation to six plants, and require consumers to obtain a license from the government is expected to pass in the Senate this month and then head to the lower house of Congress.
“There has been a lot of interference … transnational companies that have wanted to influence our decisions,” said Senate leader Ricardo Monreal. “But we make the final decision.”
According to Mexico’s political parties, by legalizing marijuana it will reduce the country’s cartels’ violence. Last fiscal year, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol seized 266,882 pounds of marijuana, down from 4.3 million pounds in 2009.
Almost 50% of Mexico’s inmates are imprisoned for drug crimes and nearly 60% are imprisoned for marijuana possession. A survey of 821 federal prisoners by the Center for Economic Research and Teaching found that nearly 50% of inmates had been sentenced for drug crimes.
“You have a broad spectrum of people who want to be involved,” said Avis Bulbulyan to the Los Angeles Times. Bulbulyan is a Glendale-based consultant who has advised several U.S. weed companies looking to expand to Mexico. “The question becomes: ‘Who gets to profit off this?’”
