You may have heard stories of people smuggling marijuana and other drugs across the borders of Mexico, right? Well, that may be true to an extent. But most of what you have heard may turn out to be false or out of line. Realistically speaking, cannabis does play a role in Mexico’s history but not everything is about drug trafficking and the like. Because of Mexico’s hot climate and sunny weather, it comes as no surprise that the cannabis plant thrives and flourishes in its rocky mountainsides. In fact, Mexico has been home to some of the best and most premium marijuana strains out there today such as the “Acapulco Gold”, a Sativa strain that is often considered as one of the best strains today.
There is an extensive connection between cannabis and Mexico. This has been a place where many marijuana studies have been conducted because of its rich history with the cannabis plant. In today’s article, we will discuss how Mexico’s history intertwines with the cannabis plant. Additionally, we will see how the marijuana scene manages to incorporate itself in Mexico’s culture today.
CANNABIS HISTORY 101: Mexico
The historical backdrop of cannabis in Mexico extends right back to the sixteenth century when industrial cannabis or hemp was first acquainted with Mexican ranchers by Spanish colonizers. Just like many other countries, Mexico immediately looked to utilizing hemp to make modern things like cloths and other industrial items. When Mexico gained independence from Spain’s rule, the cannabis industry in the country suffered a major decline as it was dependent on Spain’s imports of such. Ultimately, Mexico’s hand was forced to cultivate its own cannabis plants and the economy slowly started getting back on its feet.
However, as the years passed, the perspective on cannabis inside Mexico started shifting the other way. There were reports that the consumption of cannabis started to undergo substance abuse. Additionally, people were beginning to suspect that the psychoactive effects of cannabis were causing negative side effects in people’s productivity and behavior. In 1920, the Mexican government decided to take action and restrict the utilization, cultivation, and distribution of cannabis inside the nation. This caused the cannabis industry in Mexico at the time to come to a complete stop. This was followed by policies and laws being passed to ban the importation of cannabis. Marijuana fields were destroyed and the cannabis scene in Mexico was suddenly non-existent.
Was cannabis ever legalized in Mexico?
Cannabis was unlawful in Mexico for about a century prior to the push for change started. During the late 2000s, Mexico lifted the criminalization of cannabis which made it much more accessible for a person to possess and use regulated amounts of marijuana without having to worry about penalties. Of course, this didn’t mean that cannabis was legalized and people were free to use it in public.
Last 2015, the Judicial Body of Mexico decided that individuals of the cannabis-movement group SMART would be permitted to legally develop and cultivate their own cannabis seeds and make use of the resulting crops. Because of this achievement, it opened the opportunity for cannabis legalization across Mexico once more. Shortly after, a 2017 bill stated that Mexico would legally authorize the use and consumption of medical marijuana, albeit with a THC content that was regulated. And finally, a year later, recreational cannabis was finally decriminalized and policies regarding its use and cultivation were trimmed down to mere regulatory guidelines.
Mexico offers a lot of different marijuana strains to people from all around the world. These strains can be purchased from online cannabis seed banks such as Crop King Seeds and Sonoma Seeds. Additionally, the Mexican cannabis industry seems to be making great progress every year so finding some local weed dispensaries in the area wouldn’t be much of a surprise. It is definitely a place that is more open to marijuana than some so if you are planning a vacation trip for a great cannabis experience, then you might wanna add this to your destination list.