Medical Marijuana Legalized in Mexico – But Where Will It Go from Here? RollingStone
go to original September 15, 2017

Now that Mexico has legalized medical and scientific use of marijuana, there are those who believe that the next step is to legalize the recreational, personal use of it (CGTN America)

On June 19th, 2017, Mexico legalized medical marijuana, or more specifically, "pharmacological derivatives of cannabis" to be regulated and studied by the Ministry of Health. But, for now, Mexico's medical cannabis market will look much different than say, California's, which sells everything from cannabis flower to THC-infused massage oil. Currently, "cannabis derivatives" in Mexico, like oils and pills, must contain less than one percent THC. Although some activists are hopeful and working to change this conservative allotment, many believe that full cannabis legalization is what will help Mexico the most.

"This current law is so limited as to be practically useless. But we're headed in the right direction and the attitude is changing," says Laura Carlsen, political analyst and director of the Americas Program at the Center for International Policy in Mexico City. Here, what you need to know about Mexico's marijuana program, and where it might go from here.

Mexico began changing its marijuana policy in 2009 when it decriminalized the possession of up to five grams, as well as small, "personal use" amounts of cocaine, heroin, and other drugs, in an effort to treat addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal offense. Instead of jail time, those found in possession of substances are encouraged to enter treatment.

But the real change came in 2015, when eight-year-old Graciela Elizalde, who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy known as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, brought medical cannabis to the public's attention in Mexico. CBD oil helped to drastically reduce her seizures and improve her quality of life, and so she became the first Mexican medical marijuana patient after a Supreme Court ruling in her favor.

Since then, a medical cannabis bill has passed through both the Mexican Senate and the Lower House of Congress with an overwhelming majority, and President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the bill into law on June 19th, 2017. Now, Mexico's Ministry of Health has until mid-December, to write regulations for medical marijuana, half the time the state of California is taking to write their adult-use regulations. If Mexico meets its deadline, products derived from cannabis could be available in Mexican pharmacies in early 2018 to help treat diseases like epilepsy, Parkinson's, and cancer.

With its new law, Mexico has joined a handful of countries that have federally legalized medicinal marijuana, along with Canada, Israel, Uruguay, Puerto Rico and Germany – though notably not the United States.

Read the rest at RollingStone

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