Mexican health authorities issued the first permit allowing four individuals to grow and smoke their own marijuana.
The Mexican Supreme Court opened the door to legalizing marijuana, delivering a pointed challenge to the nation’s strict substance abuse laws and adding its weight to the growing debate in Latin America over the costs and consequences of the war against drugs.
The vote by the court’s criminal chamber declared that individuals should have the right to grow and distribute marijuana for their personal use.
While the ruling does not strike down current drug laws, it lays the groundwork for a wave of legal actions that could ultimately rewrite them, proponents of legalization say.
The public debate on marijuana has surged in Mexico in recent months since the case of an 8-year old girl with epilepsy who became Mexico’s first medical marijuana patient made national and international headlines.
The government granted the right to import and administer a cannabis-based treatment for the young patient.
Marijuana reform has gained unprecedented momentum throughout the Americas. In the United States, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana for adults.
In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legally regulate marijuana.
In Canada, the new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party have promised to legalize marijuana.
There are currently medical marijuana legalization bills being debated in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica.