Alejandro Hope: The Case Against (Immediate) Marijuana Legalization in Mexico Alejandro Hope - El Daily Post
go to original June 16, 2015

Pro-marijuana demonstrators march in support of legalization on May 2 in Guadalajara. (Facebook)

The march toward legal pot in the United States seems unstoppable. Medical marijuana is available in 23 states. Four states and the District of Columbia have gone a step further and legalized marijuana for recreational purposes. In Colorado and Washington, a legal market has been operating for more than a year. National polls show ever-increasing support for the end of marijuana prohibition: a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center shows a slight majority of the American public (53%) in favor of legal cannabis.

So if marijuana is almost legal in the United States, shouldn’t Mexico just bolt from the war on pot? Well, if the United States was legalizing marijuana nationally, the answer would be a resounding yes. But since legalization in the United States is proceeding piecemeal, on a state-by-state basis, with continued prohibition at the federal level, the decision is not as clear-cut.

...So what should Mexico do? Wait until federal legalization in the United States before freeing up the substance. Once marijuana is fully legal north of the border, Mexico could regulate marijuana in many different ways, without running the risk of rekindling a large criminal industry. While that happens, there are many things that can be done. Mexican authorities should launch alternative development initiatives to help marijuana growers transition toward the licit economy. They could take steps to deal less punitively with domestic users, maybe by increasing the size of the allowable personal possession dose (currently set at 5 grams). Also, they could experiment with tolerance for small retail operations, à la Amsterdam, or allow the establishment of consumer co-ops, in the manner of Spain’s cannabis clubs.

But mostly, Mexico should enjoy the rather unusual situation of getting significant benefits from legalization while paying few of its costs. After four decades of the war on drugs, that seems like a nice change of pace.

Read the rest at El Daily Post

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