NGO's Propose Public Health Approach to Mexico Marijuana Legalization Ariane Diaz - La Jornada
go to original January 30, 2013

A woman smokes a marijuana cigarette during a rally to celebrate the International Day for the Liberation of Marijuana in Mexico City. (AP/Marco Ugarte)

Organizations belonging to the front Marijuana Liberation in Mexico presented their Program of Peace without Authoritarianism and Corruption, an alternate proposal to the prevailing security plan "whose goal is to protect goods and not people". The program's central pupose is to address the consumption of marijuana from the perspective of health, education and human rights.

At a press conference, representatives of the groups demanded laws and programs based on scientific research without a moral bias and the possibility of dialogue with authorities and legislators to discuss their proposal.

Dr. Javiera Pinochet said the debate over marijuana use should include its medical, religious and recreational uses, as well as its usefulness in ecological industry.

For his part, Alfonso Garcia, secretary general of the Mexican Association for Cannabis Studies, said the project was presented in 2010 to the Secretariat of Government Relations, the Congress and the political parties. He said that they now seek to approach the new federal government and the legislature, but that protests demanding the decriminalization of marijuana will continue.

The program is comprised of 10 points, among which is replacing criminal and police management by one articulated by government and society based on public health and education for users or those addicted to marijuana .

It also aims to promote a new culture of reintegration and "differential treatment for poor farmers and producers of marijuana and 'marginal' or indigent, small dealers from that aimed at cartels and corrupt officials."

The Labour Party deputy said Arturo Lopez said that behind the opposition to the legalization of marijuana are economic and political interests, as well as a double standard; so he called for addressing the issue from a scientific standpoint.

See Spanish original

Posted by Reed Brundage at Mexico Voices

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