If expanded access to cannabis “harms” Mexico, President AMLO says he will reinstate the ban

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The day after a critical ruling by the Supreme Court of the cannabis ban, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador hinted he was reluctant to accept the ban on the plant. He even went so far as to say that under certain conditions his government could legislate or hold a referendum to reverse the process.

When asked by a reporter if he supported the High Court’s decision, AMLO replied that his government had “decided not to intervene in the High Court’s decision” – but that his government was ready to promote a law that would allow the course Reversing legalization, access to cannabis should “harm” the country.

“We’ll see what impact [decriminalization] has, “the president told reporters, adding that his government would take steps to reverse policy,” if we see that it does not help, that it is not good for the country, that it is not good, addiction to deal with, to stop violence, we will act. “

The leader also hinted that he could oppose any legalization of a commercial cannabis industry and warned those who see a business opportunity in Mexican marijuana that “you cannot trade on people’s health”.

In a country where 60 percent of the population oppose the legalization of cannabis, the nominally left-wing president had a tumultuous relationship with ending prohibition. AMLO hinted at the legalization and demilitarization of the war on drugs during its 2018 campaign and even appointed Olga Sánchez Cordero, lawyer for decriminalization, to its cabinet.

But in office he expressed decidedly prohibitionist views. Significantly, his Morena party, which controls both legislatures, failed to pass regulatory laws on cannabis despite an order from the Supreme Court in 2018.

The President’s views can be complicated by his belief; Just days before the June mid-term elections, AMLO emerged as an evangelical Christian, a faction not known for its support for the decriminalization of drugs.

In 2019, AMLO met with Christian groups to discuss subsidizing “Just Say No To Drugs” ads by religious organizations on television. The federal government’s ominous anti-drug campaign that followed was criticized for demonizing drug users.

Last February, the President of Mexico attributed high levels of violent crime (see: the 18-person massacre in the northern state of Zacatecas last week) to the victims’ drug use.

“60% of those who lose their lives every day, 60% of those killed in shootings show signs of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” said the president, without naming a source for the statistics.

The Supreme Court’s Declaration of Unconstitutionality upholds its previous findings that personal use and cultivation of cannabis are a constitutional right. Individuals will likely need to apply to the Federal Health Department for a permit to grow and use, and the decision does not replace extensive legislation on the subject that must be drawn up by lawmakers.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum approved the resolution, adding that she hopes that legalizing the criminalization of teenagers on cannabis allegations will put an end to it.

Versions of legalization laws have been approved by both the Senate and the lower legislature. They failed to reach an agreement on many key issues, from social justice measures to federal agencies that will regulate cannabis. On April 30, the Senate missed the Supreme Court’s third deadline for regulating legal cannabis and, as in the past, failed to request an extension.

Both bills passed by the legislature contained regulations to create a commercial industry that promises to be one of the largest in the world, with over 90 million adults in the country.

Although AMLO’s Morena party lost seats in the legislature in the recent elections, the president is still widely recognized as having the final say on the country’s political direction. With his comments, AMLO raised doubts about the feasibility of Mexican cannabis legalization.

“We will evaluate what happens,” said the president. “That’s why I believe in participatory democracy.”