Mexico Supreme Court Paves Way for Legal Recreational Marijuana Use

The Mexico Supreme Court ruled recently that two individuals had the right to use marijuana recreationally.

The decision essentially states that a blanket ban on weed is unconstitutional and that individuals have the fundamental right to engage in recreational activities–including smoking pot–without interference from the state.

The Mexican high court, however, did not open a pathway for legalizing all drugs though but rather weighed the societal consequences of marijuana in its judgment.

“That right is not absolute, and the consumption of certain substances may be regulated, but the effects provoked by marijuana do not justify an absolute prohibition of its consumption,” the court said in the ruling.

The ruling also didn’t explicitly deal with the issue of commercializing weed, only setting a precedent that using marijuana recreationally is a protected right.

In addition to last week’s two rulings, three similar rulings concerning marijuana consumption took place in 2015 and 2017.

Under Mexican law, once five court decisions have been made on a related topic, the standard can be applied more broadly.

So while the court rulings don’t technically legalize recreational pot use, they simply establish that the court must allow it.

Formal legalization would require a bill passed by the Mexico Congress.

Read the full story here.