Mexico’s Supreme Court Ruling Just Changed Cannabis Legality in the Country Forever

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]W[/dropcap]ednesday, the Mexican Supreme Court declared that individuals should have the right to grow and distribute cannabis for personal use, taking a big step for Mexico in terms of cannabis regulation. Although this serves as a game-changer for medical cannabis advocates within the country, the vote only legalizes recreational cannabis for the cannabis club that presented the suit.

“This is a tremendously powerful decision that could open the way for real change,” said Armando Santa Cruz, one of the four activists behind the suit. “We’ve made history. It’s a hole in the dike but it’s the first hole in the dike.” Cruz and three other activists requested to form a cannabis club back in 2013.

Cannabis reform is relatively unpopular in Mexico, thanks to its association with drug cartels. “It’s the drama behind all of our efforts,” Juan Francisco Torres Landa, attorney to the plaintiff, told the New York Times. The Supreme Court’s criminal chamber voted in favor of the plaintiff, allowing them to use cannabis for personal use. Arturo Escobar, deputy interior minister for crime prevention welcomes the ruling. “Liberation is much worse than contention,” Escobar said. “Mexico does not want to make a businessman out of Chapo Guzmán.”

Cannabis laws are rapidly shifting in Latin America, including the legalization of cannabis in Uruguay in 2013. Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos halted the spraying of cancer-causing chemicals on coca fields, rejecting pressure from America.

“We are killing ourselves to stop the production of something that is heading to the U.S., where it’s legal,” said Armando Santacruz, another plaintiff involved in the case. Cannabis use is not as common in Mexico. A 2011 survey estimates only 2 percent of Mexicans had smoked in the last year.

The ruling is the result of the work of four veteran activists who formed the group the Mexican Society for Responsible Consumption and Tolerance or the Spanish acronym SMART. The legal strategy was formed to challenge cannabis prohibition in Mexico.