Mexico’s lower House of Congress on Friday passed a bill to legalize the use of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes, according to a report from Reuters. The measure passed the nation’s Senate in December and now moves to the desk of President Enrique Peña Nieto, who is expected to sign it.
“The ruling eliminates the prohibition and criminalization of acts related to the medicinal use of marijuana and its scientific research, and those relating to the production and distribution of the plant for these purposes,” the Lower House said in a statement posted to its website.
The legislation reclassifies THC as “therapeutic.” The government has allowed the importation of CBD medicines on a case-by-case basis after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that individuals had the right to grow and distribute cannabis for personal use in 2015. However, according to a New York Times report, the ruling didn’t strike down the nation’s drug laws, but laid the groundwork for the medical cannabis regime. The ruling also granted four people the right to grow their own cannabis for personal consumption.
A bill that would legalize possession of up to 1 ounce of cannabis in Mexico was introduced more than a year ago but has been stalled in the Senate.