MEXICO, (teleSUR) – The Mexican Senate passed on Thursday a law that legalizes the consumption of cannabis for adults. This controversial and largely debated decision aims at regulating the practice in the country.
The Federal Law for the Regularization of Cannabis decriminalizes consumption for people 18 years of age and up to 28 grams. If that amount is surpassed by up to 200 grams, there would be an administrative sanction and a fine of 11.000 Mexican pesos.
The Senate voted 82 in favor of the law, 18 against and seven abstentions. Lawmakers against the law raised fears that marihuana consumption could become a widespread practice, and the smell could reach children.
“#Today in the Senate, it was approved to create the Federal Law for the Regulation of Cannabis and reform the General Law of Health and the Federal Penal Code, for the regulation of #CannabisLegal.”
Further, lawmakers in favor noticed that from a social perspective, the law supports peasants, indigenous peoples, and communities which were prohibited from harvesting cannabis and were forced to look for it in the illegal market instead.
Nonetheless, health authorities pointed out that the reform does not encourage consumption of cannabis since it is banned in public spaces where there are minors and 500 meters from schools, shopping centers, sports, parks, and government buildings.
The lawmakers in favor branded the reform as “historic” and “progress” since it ends a century of criminalization of cannabis in the country.