President Nieto revealed that the new laws would allow medicine to be made from marijuana and its ingredients, decriminalize consumption and permit clinical research surrounding the controlled substance.
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Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced on Thursday, April 21, that he will submit a bill to the Senate to raise the amount of marijuana a person can carry in Mexico from five to 28 grams.
He has traditionally opposed efforts to liberalize drug laws, but began to modify his stance in recent months, reflecting growing regional disenchantment with the so-called “War On Drugs”.
Peña Nieto was against the legalization of marijuana for any reason, but Hope, who used to work for Mexican government intelligence, believes the president changed his mind because of national and global pressure.
Pena Nieto said if his plan was approved, it would allow many people behind bars for marijuana offenses to be released.
“Our country has suffered, as few have, the ill effects of organised crime tied to drug trafficking”, he added.
“Instead of criminalizing consumers, it will offer alternatives and opportunities”.
The Mexican president’s monumental shift in drug policy comes after last year’s Supreme Court ruling that four plaintiffs were allowed to smoke and cultivate marijuana under the right of “free development of personality”.
It is unclear what will now happen to her bill.
The comments from Latin American leaders, past and present, contrast deeply with calls from a representative from Indonesia who was booed when he suggested capital punishment must be “an important component” of drug policy, a statement backed by nations such as China.
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Pot private equity firm Privateer Holdings calculates a legal medical and recreational cannabis market in Mexico could be worth $1.7 billion a year.
