In early March, Mexico’s lower house of Congress approved a bill to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis. The bill, now under consideration in the Senate, is expected to pass with some changes, and ultimately be approved by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. “The law should meet two goals,” Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal said in April. “Reducing criminality and eliminating the prohibition that has led to thousands of people being imprisoned for having a few grams of marijuana.”
How likely are these two objectives to be met?
Of the two, the second goal is the more easily achievable, even if it will require a concerted effort to make it a reality. An amnesty law for minor crimes, including cannabis possession, passed in April 2020, should have already led to the release of the 4,000 to 6,000 eligible people currently serving time for minor cannabis offenses. But one year on, these people are still in prison.