Mexico Review of Existing Laws May Allow More Marijuana Use, Ease Sentencing Dave Graham - Reuters
go to original November 15, 2015

A national debate on overhauling Mexico's marijuana legislation will consider easing custodial sentences and raising the amount of the drug that people can carry, according to the government official tasked with overseeing the process.

Deputy Interior Minister Roberto Campa told Reuters in an interview that the consultation process kick-started by a Supreme Court ruling last week aimed to present its conclusions by early April and help legislators take the next steps.

Reviewing a challenge to existing laws, the court ruled that a group of four people should be able to cultivate and consume their own marijuana, opening the door to change in the law in a country long battered by drug cartel violence.

The court decision was quickly followed by a Senate proposal from within President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party to legalize medicinal use of marijuana, which appears to have substantial cross-party support.

However, the consultation process due to run from January to March will take a wider view of marijuana policy and its impact on the criminal justice system, Campa said, careful to stress the government should not anticipate its outcome.

Read the rest at Reuters

Related: Mexico and Marijuana Legalization: Addressing the Myths About Pot (Mexico Voices)

Related: Mexico Court Ruling Hints at Marijuana Policy Change (Global Risk Insights)

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