All the excitement about Mexico legalizing marjjuana on December 15 will have to wait. The legislative deadline mandated by the Supreme Court has been delayed until April 30. This is the third such delay since 2019.
“Due to the complexity of the issue, extending the period granted [for legalization] to the next ordinary sitting period is courteously requested,” Dulce María Sauri, president of the lower house, stated in a letter to the Court. The extension was granted.
Another reason for the delay is the continued spread of Covid-19 in Mexico, where there has been more than 1.2 million cases and 114,000 deaths.
In November, the Senate voted 82-18 in favor of a legalization bill that alllows for possession of up to one ounce and personal home grow of up to six plants and creates a commerical system for production and retail sales.
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Activist Zara Snapp called it "a historic step in the right direction."
In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting marijuana was unconstitutional and mandated the legislature to enact a legalization law.
Only two countries - Canada and Uruguay - have legalized marijuana. When Mexico follows through next year, it will leave the U.S. surrounded by two countries that have passed such laws. Could the U.S. be far behind?
