Mexican Court Legalizes Recreational Cocaine For Two People
A Mexican court recently ruled that the recreational use of cocaine is legal–for two people.
The ruling holds that the two plaintiffs in the case–who are unnamed–should be allowed to possess and use, but not sell, small amounts of cocaine.
Specifically, the court issued an injunction requiring Cofepris, Mexico’s national healthcare regulator, to legally allow the two individuals access to cocaine.
The injunction is currently being reviewed by an independent tribunal.
The case was brought to court on behalf of the plaintiffs by Mexico United Against Crime (MUCD), a group focused on ending the war on drugs in Mexico that has resulted in a thriving black market ran by powerful cartels.
Since 2006, when the drug war officially commenced in Mexico, there have been an estimated 150,000 intentional homicides carried out by those with cartel affiliations.
In 2018, a similar court ruling by Mexico’s Supreme Court said that the federal prohibition of recreational marijuana violated the constitutional rights of citizens.
The Mexican high court, as part of the ruling, ordered the legislature to legalize marijuana nationwide by October 2019, which looks extremely likely to happen.
But for cocaine to follow the same path to legalization as marijuana in the country, it will first need similar rulings from higher courts.
The higher courts will also have to rule that the decriminalization or legalization of cocaine is not too much of a “public health risk”–a very important caveat in the Supreme Court ruling on recreational cannabis.
Mexico remains a huge pipeline for cocaine smuggled into the US.
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