Mexico has a very different relationship with cannabis than Canada. Since Canadian culture has embraced marijuana and its surrounding communities, we commonly associate it with everything from music festivals and university campuses to the munchies, Willie Nelson, and Snoop Dogg. Read on to learn more about marijuana in Mexico: what's legal? What's not?
Marijuana Culture in Mexico
With Canada having fully legalised both medicinal and recreational marijuana under the Cannabis Act, the plant is now a normalised part of Canadian culture. Reefer Madness may be fading into the background here at home, but it's still going strong in Mexico, our neighbour to the south.
Mexico has been fighting its War on Drugs since 2006, with no end in sight. Many Mexican citizens have negative connotations of cannabis. Due to the drug cartels and their bloody past, support for legalising marijuana is minimal throughout Mexico. Even though marijuana was made illegal in 1920, it continued to be grown and exported abroad, primarily by cartels and drug traffickers.
The dangerous cartels have made life difficult for many Mexicans. Furthermore, the Catholic Church has taken a staunch anti-cannabis stance; because Mexico has a Catholic majority of — 81% — their influence is widespread. Many residents believe the old hype: marijuana is a gateway drug that corrupts kids and leads to a dangerous lifestyle. Reefer Madness is still pervasive throughout Mexico.
Current Mexico Cannabis Laws
In 2009, in an effort to refocus law enforcement resources into curbing the activities of distributors and the cartels, the Mexican Government voted to decriminalise personal possession of cannabis. Individuals may possess up to five grams of cannabis without facing legal repercussions. This was Mexico's first step towards cannabis law reform.
Then, in 2017, the Mexican government voted again to legalise medicinal cannabis use across the country. Medical marijuana products must contain less than 1% THC. With the legalisation of medicinal marijuana, support is starting to grow for the legalisation of recreational marijuana in the future.
A Brief History of Marijuana in Mexico
Cannabis plants were first brought to the new world in the 16th century by the Spanish. Colonists and settlers brought the hemp plant with them and cultivated it extensively to make rope and textiles. After Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1810, hemp farming began to decrease throughout the country. However, a new type of cannabis plant was becoming more popular; psychoactive strains of cannabis, presumably imported from India or Jamaica, were commonly grown by locals throughout Mexico. By the late 1800s, recreational cannabis use was widespread. The plant was also regarded as a folk remedy for minor aches, which makes sense, as marijuana is a natural anti-inflammatory.
Then, in 1920, the Mexican government banned the cultivation, sale, and recreational use of cannabis. Reefer Madness had gripped the western world, and the Catholic Church's influence over Mexico and its religious residents was strong.
In the 1970s and 80s, drug trafficking was rampant, as kingpins like Pablo Escobar used Mexico as an expressway to transport drugs from Central America northward. Local cartels sprung up and joined the drug lords to create their own trafficking rings. The War on Drugs has been ongoing since 2006, though many question the effectiveness of these operations and the unintended backlash often created when law enforcement and the government take on these organised crime units.
The 2009 decriminalisation of small amounts of cannabis and other drugs intended for personal use was a step in the right direction. Law enforcement can now spend more time and money going after larger distributors and the cartels.
The Future of Marijuana in Mexico
With Canada having fully legalised the sale and use of recreational marijuana under the Cannabis Act, Mexico will have to reconsider its historically hard-line stance against legal weed. If the results are anything like legalisation in British Columbia or Ontario, the benefits for Mexico could be enormous.
The major difference between legalisation in Canada and in Mexico is the potential fallout from the cartels. Many people think that the legalisation and regulation of cannabis by the government would undercut the cartels, weakening and eventually dismantling them. However, since cartels often deal with much more serious drugs than cannabis anyway, it remains to be seen what the impact will be.
How Can Mexico Benefit from Cannabis Legalisation?
If recreational marijuana were legalised, Mexico could expect to see a potential $1.2 billion in tax revenues from cannabis sales. The potential for job creation at every level of cultivation and production could help decrease the national unemployment rate. Currently, only 33% of Mexican citizens support the legalisation of recreational marijuana, but that may change as cultural and political attitudes towards cannabis continue to progress.
There are also many medicinal benefits of cannabis. Because it is easy to grow and widely available, it could benefit people in poorer or more rural areas who don't have access to hospitals and regular medical care.
In the last decade, marijuana in Mexico has made considerable strides towards acceptance and legalisation. Canada legalised both medical and recreational cannabis on a national level under the Cannabis Act in 2018. As attitudes continue to shift across North America, we look forward to the ever-widening therapeutic benefits sure to be gained from the end of cannabis prohibition throughout the continent.