Mexico eyes legal medical marijuana

MEXICO CITY—Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed on Thursday legalizing medical marijuana and easing restrictions on recreational use, a major policy shift for a government embroiled in an ultraviolent drug war.

Peña Nieto’s decision to send landmark legislation to Congress was the result of a national debate on cannabis laws and comes amid a growing debate about drug policy across the Americas.

“Society and the scientific community have spoken. There was a clear consensus that there are limits to the current focus in which Mexico has dealt with the marijuana issue,” Peña Nieto said.

The bill sent to Congress would allow the use of medications made with marijuana or its active ingredients, and it would also increase the amount of the drug that can legally be possessed for personal consumption from five to 28 grams.

But his proposal falls short of a full legalization of marijuana as demanded by activists who won a landmark case last year at the Supreme Court, which authorized four individuals to grow and smoke pot.