A draft bill to legalize and regulate cannabis sales in Mexico is being circulated among senators, and a top lawmaker says the plan is to vote on the proposal before December 15. While the legislation has not been formally introduced yet, the draft measure largely reflects an earlier version the Senate passed late last year, with some revisions.
Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal Avila of the ruling Morena party has been pushing for the reform and recently said that there is agreement among leading lawmakers to prioritize legislation to regulate cannabis.
The bill would establish a Mexican Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis, which would be a decentralized body under the Ministry of Health. It would also be responsible for issuing licenses, overseeing the program, and promoting public education campaigns around cannabis.
Furthermore, in order to “compensate the damages generated by the prohibition,” the bill states that at least 40 percent of cannabis cultivation licenses would need to go to communities most impacted by cannabis criminalization for at least the first five years of implementation. After that point, at least 20 percent of licenses would need to be reserved for equity applicants.
Read the complete article at marijuanamoment.net.
