Mexico Senate President Indicates Discussion of Marijuana Bill in Next Legislative Period

Mexican Senate President Ana Lilia Rivera has announced that the Mexican Senate is likely to discuss the "marijuana bill and recreational marijuana use" during the next parliamentary session, as reported by Publimetro on January 3rd.

Levira is confident that the next parliamentary session, starting from February 1, 2024, will initiate discussions on the recreational use of marijuana, as well as other legislative issues that have been lagging behind in the Senate, such as the comprehensive water bill. The Senate President has foreshadowed, "The discussions on marijuana will be intricate, as our country still harbors societal biases towards its use.

Despite the Mexican Supreme Court (SCJN) overturning the ban on recreational marijuana consumption on June 28, 2021, and the House of Representatives passing a reform bill in March of the same year aimed at regulating the use of marijuana, including its industrial and research purposes, the Senate has made no progress in legislation since then.

The reform includes granting the National Commission Against Addiction (Conadic) the authority to regulate marijuana and issue various licenses. However, senators have yet to resolve some pending issues such as establishing a regulatory body, commercializing the sale of marijuana seeds, and determining the minimum age for consumption.

On this issue, the statement by the lawmakers of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) has opened up the possibility for further regulations in order to pave the way for the potential legalization of recreational marijuana use in Mexico.