Mexico can now vote on marijuana legalization until the end of the year

Mexican Senators Circulate Draft Marijuana Legalization Bill, With Vote Expected Within Weeks

Mexico is sleeping a little over how cannabis should be legalized and finally, after nearly three years of waiting, we might finally see law become law. Recently, Senators published a bill circulating in the Senate about their plans to legalize the facility.

The 55-page document describes the holistic approach the government wants to take towards cannabis and, at first glance, appears to be very extensive and aims to provide a robust framework for individuals, collectives and business enterprises.

In today’s article, we’re going to look at some of the provisions of the document that will allow you to see the overall tone of Mexican law.

Note, however, that this will not be the final version until it has been voted on and converted into law. Things can change if lawmakers continue to discuss the proposals.

Personal consumption and cultivation

One thing that many activists have been waiting for has been clearer rules regarding personal consumption, ownership and cultivation. Mexican lawmakers appear to have agreed that adults can grow up to six plants per person and up to eight plants per household – if two or more consumers live in the same place.

An adult could buy up to 28 grams of cannabis per day from a pharmacy, and pharmacies are not allowed to sell more than that amount to one person on any given day. Possessions over 200 grams can still result in jail time and / or fines.

The private use of cannabis will be a protected right under the Mexican Constitution, ensuring that every citizen is free to exercise his or her personality without the nuisance of the law.

Cannabis clubs

Mexico will also have non-profit associations that can be incorporated as an “association” according to the legal definition. These associations can have up to twenty members and have the option to grow up to 80 plants – or four plants per member in a given year.

Cannabis clubs are required to keep strict accounting records as they must justify any income the club receives in the form of donations, etc. However, these clubs have the right to grow, harvest, process, consume and distribute the plant.

This could work well for medical collectives and other independent groups looking to grow cannabis collectively. However, these will strictly NOT be for profit.

Supervisory authority

In the previous bill, the Diputados administration – which is like Congress in the US – suggested that the current substance abuse department be responsible for issuing licenses and the like. However, the Senators were more focused on creating a new regulator that will oversee all of the diverse activities in the cannabis market.

The agency will be under the Ministry of Health and its official title is The Mexican Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis.

Commercial cannabis

When it comes to commercial cannabis. The legal minimum age for consumption is 18 years. This means that Mexico will have the largest approved cannabis market in the world with 80 million to 90 million eligible consumers.

The new Mexican law would allow companies to implement vertical integration – meaning that a single company would be able to develop products and control the entire supply chain. However, there is an upper limit to the number of licenses a single person can own, which puts a limit on the monopoly of the marketplace. One person can have licenses for up to three companies.

All cannabis produced in this market must be tested before being sold in the market and the legislation covers all forms of trade. A significant portion (40%) of the licenses are granted for up to five years to communities negatively affected by the drug war, although this percentage would drop to 20%.

The aforementioned regulator would be responsible for dispensing and validating all cannabis activities within the country. This includes import and export activities.

Foreign companies could invest in the Mexican cannabis market, but preference is given to local companies first – at least it is suggested.

Pharma and Research

Much of the bill also outlines the activities of pharmaceutical and research companies. This suggests that Mexico is ready to enter the cannabis market and create the infrastructure to develop cannabis-based medicine.

Special licenses are granted to these institutions.

When will it be voted on?

Allegedly, the vote should take place in a few weeks – possibly before the winter break. At least that’s what one of the government’s top senators hinted at.

It seems that the bill is pretty solid and much like what the Senate proposed earlier, albeit with a few changes. Nonetheless, it seems like the Mexican system will be a legitimate competitor in the global cannabis space.

Of course, there will likely be a year delay before we start distributing licenses for commercial reasons – by late 2022 to early 2023 Mexico could have a fully functioning cannabis marketplace.

What does this mean for the US?

The US is approaching full legalization. While the Democrats have been pushing a specific bill for nearly a year, in all likelihood they will have to strike a middle ground with Republican law if they want to legalize cannabis at the federal level.

While the Republican bill is not as “socially fair” as the Democratic bill, it will allow for “cheap licensing” that will allow smaller players to get a foot in the door. Right now, licensing isn’t cheap in most of the places that have legalized cannabis in the states – Republican law will allow licenses to be obtained in a manner similar to alcohol.

Nonetheless, when Mexico comes online in the world of cannabis, we will have a country with favorable weather conditions, rich land and cheap labor who can manufacture cannabis products and ship them around the world. Mexico’s biggest customer is sure to be the US and then China.

The US will have to legalize soon – they have run out of time.

MEXICO LEGALIZATION, WHAT’S NEW, READ THIS ..

WHEN WILL MEXICO VOTE ON THE LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS, READ THIS!

OR…

MEXICAN SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE REJECTS MARIJUANA BAN!