The ABC for marijuana use in Mexico 2:39
(CNN Spanish) -
In Latin America at least seven countries have approved marijuana for medicinal purposes, and only two, Uruguay and Mexico, have legalized its use for recreational purposes, becoming the first country in the world to do so.
In June 2021, the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico approved with 8 votes in favor and 3 against, the annulment of the prohibition of the recreational use of marijuana, contained in the General Health Law.
The resolution establishes, among others, that marijuana may be planted, collected, transported and distributed, without a penalty, as long as it is for personal use.
Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana.
There you can take and share up to 30 grams of legal marijuana in public.
Mexico is the second country in Latin America to approve recreational use and it can be produced only for personal consumption.
Several countries in the region have approved marijuana for medicinal use.
In November 2020, Argentina approved a new regulation on medicinal cannabis, among which self-cultivation was approved for patients who need the use of the plant, as well as the free provision to patients by the State and both public and private production. of cannabis oil and its derivatives, as published in the Official Gazette of November 12.
The new regulation also promotes scientific research to "generate quality scientific evidence that allows human patients to access the Cannabis plant and its derivatives safely," says the document.
This regulation expanded the law passed in the Senate in March 2017 that enabled the use of medical marijuana.
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Also in November 2020, the Mexican Senate approved with 82 votes in favor, 18 against and 7 abstentions, the ruling that regulates the use and consumption of marijuana, as well as production for medical, recreational and industrial purposes.
The bill will go to the Chamber of Deputies where it will be discussed and put to a vote.
If he is sanctioned, he will be sent to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in charge of promulgating the law.
Mexico debates the possible decriminalization of marijuana between controversy and opposition
Mexico debates decriminalization of marijuana amid controversy 3:33
On September 17, 2019, Ecuador joined the list of countries that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.
In Colombia, medical marijuana was legalized in 2016, but after a debate in the House of Representatives on November 3, 2020, the bill to legalize its recreational use was shelved.
Countries like Chile, Peru, and Paraguay have also approved medical cannabis.
In Puerto Rico, marijuana for medicinal purposes is also authorized.
Countries where cannabis use is illegal
In countries such as Bolivia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, the use of marijuana is in any case illegal.
In Brazil, the Drug Law punishes the possession and consumption of drugs.
And since 2015, the Supreme Court of Brazil has been discussing the decriminalization of the possession and personal consumption of illicit substances, but so far it has not reached a conclusion.
Although medical marijuana is not legalized in Brazil, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) included cannabis sativa in the official list of drugs in 2017.
“The listing does not change the rules for importing cannabidiol or other marijuana extracts.
The measure is not an authorization or recognition of cannabis as a medicinal plant, "says ANVISA.
That is, the substances in the plant are authorized, but not the plant itself.
In Panama, however, although a bill has been presented to regulate it for medicinal purposes, it is allowed to "register cannabidiol and use it for medical purposes," according to the Ministry of Health.
In Costa Rica, cannabis is a substance prohibited by law, and although its production, distribution and sale are criminally sanctioned, it does not consider its consumption as a crime, but as a public health problem, as a disease that needs treatment and rehabilitation, the National Survey of Drug Consumption of the Institute of Drugs and Drug Dependence of Costa Rica, published in 2012.
Other countries
After Uruguay, Canada was the second country in the world, and the first country in the G7, to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.
With this legislation, adults will be able to carry and share up to 30 grams of legal marijuana in public.
They will also be able to grow up to four plants in their homes and prepare products such as those that can be eaten for personal use.
Consumers purchase marijuana from retailers regulated by provinces, territories, or, when none of those options are available, federally licensed producers.
Marijuana will also not be sold in the same place as alcohol or tobacco.
USA
Meanwhile, 15 states in the United States plus the District of Columbia now allow recreational use of marijuana.
In the November 2020 elections, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota authorized the use of cannabis for adults.
Medical marijuana is legal in some form in at least 30 states across the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Anyone over the age of 21 can buy medical marijuana in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.
Bethany Gomez, CEO of Brightfield Group, a market research and analysis company that specializes in the cannabis industry, projects that the US recreational and medical cannabis industry will see $ 19 billion in sales this year.
It also forecasts that it will grow to $ 24 billion in 2021. And that, with this week's additions and possible new additions like New York, it will reach $ 45 billion in sales by 2025.
Portugal is a pioneer when it comes to drug reform laws, as this country decriminalized the possession of all drugs, not just cannabis, for personal use in 2001. As a result, the country has the most evidence on the impact and the change it may have in drug policy in the country.
Ireland, Australia, Jamaica and Germany passed measures in 2016 for their medicinal use, while Australia also gave companies permission to apply for licenses to manufacture or grow marijuana products for medicinal purposes and to conduct related research.
The high courts in South Africa and Georgia also repealed bans on cannabis, legalizing the plant for individual use.
And on medicinal cannabis, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Kingdom approved the use of the plant in 2018.
In late November, Luxembourg, the small European nation, announced that marijuana would soon be legalized for recreational use for adults.
- Editor's Note: This note was initially published in September 2019, but was updated in November 2020.
Marijuana Consumption Medicinal Marijuana
