The Mexican Senate is trying again to delay the legalization of cannabis

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Many were hoping for a historic 4/20 celebration in Mexico, where lawmakers appeared to be on the verge of legalizing recreational cannabis. But word that the party might have gone up in smoke in a bad way broke on Wednesday when Senator Ricardo Monreal said his colleagues are considering moving on April 30th another extension that the Supreme Court will allow lawmakers to legalize Weeds had set across the country.

“It’s not easy and the Senate has a big dilemma. to accept the House of Commons bill so that it can come into effect and comply with the court mandate, or to request another time extension, ”said Monreal, as reported by El Universal.

Monreal, who is also president of the Senate Political Coordinating Committee of the ruling Morena party, warned of the problems that could arise from calling for an extension, including the possibility that the Court of Justice will declare the current ban on adult cannabis use unconstitutional “Chaos” , he said.

The Mexican Senate approved a version of the legalization law back in November, but it was changed by the lower legislative house, also known as the Chamber of Deputies. But now the Senate is dissatisfied with the changes made by MPs, particularly the removal of social justice requirements such as cannabis business permit quotas to give priority to indigenous people.

In fact, lawmakers have raised concerns about a wide variety of issues included in the legislation, from a registry that would be required to grow cannabis in their household, to what some see as extreme restrictions on cannabis clubs, to the ability to Consume cannabis public areas.

The MPs’ version of the bill has already been approved by the Senate Judicial and Second Legislative Study Committees. The only thing missing is approval from the health committee to be eligible for a vote in the Senate. If the legislation were approved by the Senate, it would go to the desk of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has indicated in the past that he is ready to sign the bill.

In the two years since the Mexican Supreme Court ruled the ban on cannabis unconstitutional, lawmakers have been granted several extensions of time to draft the drug ordinance. The most recent extension, announced in December, allowed four additional months of deliberation.

“We shouldn’t pass imperfect laws,” said Monreal. “We should legislate with the greatest possible coherence and with the aim of solving social problems. Economic concerns, profit or donation problems should not take precedence over social interests. ”

In a country ravaged by a bloody war on drugs, not all anti-ban activists are convinced of Monreal’s position. The drug policy coalition Regulación por la Paz tweeted on Wednesday: “We believe that an imperfect law is better than an eternal ban.”

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