Mexican senators are trying to delay the approval of a marijuana legalization bill that was recently given the green light by legislators in the nation’s lower house.
The Mexican Supreme Court set an April 30 deadline for lawmakers to rubber-stamp legislation, but senators from the ruling Morena Party are seeking an extension so the debate can be continued through the next legislative session starting in September.
The law would decriminalize the possession of cannabis, allow citizens to cultivate plants at home, and businesses to apply for licenses to sell weed and derivative products. The Supreme Court has ruled that criminalizing marijuana is unconstitutional, and has set various deadlines for laws to be changed, but legislators have repeatedly failed to agree on a definitive bill. Mexico would become only the third country in the world to pass national laws to legalize cannabis, after Canada and Uruguay.