UNAM's Professor Olga Pellicer On the Marijuana Debate in Mexico Olga Pellicer - Proceso
go to original August 19, 2013

MEXICO CITY - At national and international levels, there have been a number of events favorable to legalization of marijuana. In the United States, although the federal government adamantly maintains its prohibitionist position, things have changed at the state level. Illinois just became the twentieth state to legalize marijuana for medical use. Colorado and Washington have also legalized it for recreational use, setting up a market whose potential for huge profits attracts great interest. Surveys suggest the possibility of a referendum in California that would give positive results for legalization. If so, it would profoundly change the landscape for the use and marketing of the drug in the largest consumer center in the world.

In Latin America, after initiatives led principally by the president of Guatemala in demanding a new approach to the drug issue, the biggest innovation has occurred in Uruguay. There, the Deputies approved legislation that legalizes-regulates the production, sale and consumption of marijuana; it still lacks the vote of the Senators, who are expected to ratify the Deputies' decision.

Against this background, the debate over legalization has become widespread in Mexico. In recent days, there have been several events in which well-known personages of the political and academic world participated. True, there have been dissenting voices, but they have been fewer. The mainstream, especially among academics, is in favor of legalization. Personally, I have long placed myself in that camp.

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