Mexico’s Supreme Court moves again on legalization issue after legislature fails to act

In 2017, Mexico’s Supreme Court declared prohibition unconstitutional and ordered the legislature to draft laws to create a legal cannabis market. Lawmakers have been arguing about it ever since, amidst mounting pressure from pro-cannabis activists. This spring the legislature failed to meet the court’s April 30 deadline for comprehensive legislation. Now the court has stepped in again, striking down the laws prohibiting personal consumption and home cultivation of cannabis in an 8-3 decision. So is this cause for celebration? The move decriminalizes personal use without creating a regulated industry, which opens the door to a world of murk. But it’s still a massive step forward. In the words of the president of the high court, Arturo Zaldívar, “Today is a historic day for freedoms.”