The Mexican government this past Friday granted the first permits giving the green light for the cultivation and possession of marijuana for personal use.
The federal medical protection agency stated the permits apply only to the four plaintiffs who were victorious with a favorable decision from the Supreme Court this past month. The court stated cultivating and consuming cannabis is covered under the right of “free development of personality.”
The permits issued Friday will not allow smoking pot in front of children or anyone who hasn’t given consent. The permits also do not allow the sale or distribution of marijuana.
Ironically, the plaintiffs stated that even with the permits in hand, they don’t plan to smoke the marijuana permitted. They said they filed the suit to make a point about prohibitionist policies being wrong, not to get their hands on legal weed.
“The objective is to change the policy, not to promote consumption,” said Juan Francisco Torres Landa, one of the four plaintiffs. “We are going to set the example; we are not going to consume it.”
The court’s ruling didn’t define a general legalization for Mexico. However if the court ruled the same way on five similar petitions, it would then determine the precedent to change the law and allow general recreational use.
The government medical protection agency, known as COFEPRIS, stated it has received 155 applications to obtain such permits. However other applicants would have to go through the appeals process, something supporters say would probably take at least a year.
President Enrique Pena Nieto has repeatedly stated he is not in favor of legalizing marijuana as do a majority of Mexicans surveyed in recent polls.
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