Post by scumbuster on Nov 5, 2015 5:33:39 GMT -5
Mexican supreme court says marijuana should be legal for citizens to grow, use
MEXICO CITY, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Mexico's supreme court on Wednesday ruled that a group of four activists can legally grow and use marijuana -- a ruling that some believe might open the door to future legalization of the drug.
The criminal chamber of Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation handed down the ruling, which said citizens should legally be allowed to cultivate and use cannabis. However, it only legalizes the drug for the group of four plaintiffs who brought the suit.
Specifically, the court's decision declared that a national health law on the books is unconstitutional in its position against marijuana use.
The 88-page ruling says the government should recognize citizens' autonomy to engage in any behavior they choose -- as long as it harms no one else.
"The responsible decision taken to experiment with the effects of this substance -- whatever personal harm it might do -- belongs within the autonomy of the individual, protected by their freedom to develop themselves," supreme court justice Arturo Zaldivar said.
The Mexican Supreme Court must issue a total of four rulings, called "amparos," before it is considered a full legal precedent that mandates other Mexican courts to comply.
Some believe, though, that the ruling is already an important legal step that may lay the groundwork for the plant's decriminalization at some point in the future.
Mexico has strict laws against controlled substances, in part because of the illicit drug enterprises that litter the country and the high cost required to fight them. Additionally, Mexican cartels are well-known for the often violent manner in which they conduct their business.
The U.S.-backed War on Drugs has for years propped up the fight in a country where drug manufacturers and dealers are high in number and often operate with the intention of distributing their product in the United States -- where recreational marijuana consumption is now fully legal in some states.
"We are killing ourselves to stop the production of something that is heading to the U.S., where it's legal," Armando Santacruz, one of the four plaintiffs in the case, said.
In 2009, Mexico's government did decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, heroin and cocaine -- though Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has said repeatedly that he opposes drug legalization and believes it would only lead to greater drug use.
MEXICO CITY, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Mexico's supreme court on Wednesday ruled that a group of four activists can legally grow and use marijuana -- a ruling that some believe might open the door to future legalization of the drug.
The criminal chamber of Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation handed down the ruling, which said citizens should legally be allowed to cultivate and use cannabis. However, it only legalizes the drug for the group of four plaintiffs who brought the suit.
Specifically, the court's decision declared that a national health law on the books is unconstitutional in its position against marijuana use.
The 88-page ruling says the government should recognize citizens' autonomy to engage in any behavior they choose -- as long as it harms no one else.
"The responsible decision taken to experiment with the effects of this substance -- whatever personal harm it might do -- belongs within the autonomy of the individual, protected by their freedom to develop themselves," supreme court justice Arturo Zaldivar said.
The Mexican Supreme Court must issue a total of four rulings, called "amparos," before it is considered a full legal precedent that mandates other Mexican courts to comply.
Some believe, though, that the ruling is already an important legal step that may lay the groundwork for the plant's decriminalization at some point in the future.
Mexico has strict laws against controlled substances, in part because of the illicit drug enterprises that litter the country and the high cost required to fight them. Additionally, Mexican cartels are well-known for the often violent manner in which they conduct their business.
The U.S.-backed War on Drugs has for years propped up the fight in a country where drug manufacturers and dealers are high in number and often operate with the intention of distributing their product in the United States -- where recreational marijuana consumption is now fully legal in some states.
"We are killing ourselves to stop the production of something that is heading to the U.S., where it's legal," Armando Santacruz, one of the four plaintiffs in the case, said.
In 2009, Mexico's government did decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, heroin and cocaine -- though Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has said repeatedly that he opposes drug legalization and believes it would only lead to greater drug use.