Mexico City: Mexico’s Supreme Court has decriminalised the private recreational use of cannabis by adults. “Today is a historic day for liberties,” court president Arturo Zaldivar said, after eight of the 11 judges backed the decision declaring the drug’s prohibition under the health law to be unconstitutional.
Adults wanting to cultivate and consume their own cannabis will be able to apply for permits from the health secretariat. Criminal penalties for possessing more than five grammes of marijuana or selling the drug remain in place.
The ruling does not mention the commercialisation of cannabis.
The decision came after a legalisation bill stalled in Congress.
The landmark bill was approved by the lower house in March but still needs final approval by the upper house, the Senate.
In April, the ruling majority in the Senate said it was considering postponing the final discussion on the law until September.
The Supreme Court urged Congress to issue the necessary legislation “in order to generate legal certainty.”
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