Mexican Tourism Minister Voices Support for Legal Cannabis in Resort Towns – News

De la Madrid told reporters that cannabis should first be legalized in the states of Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur, home to the popular Cancun and Los Cabos resorts. These areas have seen a drastic increase in homicides over the past several years as a result of increased drug cartel activity. Html” target=” blank”> increased to over 29,000, making 2017 the bloodiest year the country has seen in the past several decades. The tourist minister argued that allowing these states to legalize pot would weaken the grip of drug cartels by cutting into their profits.

De la Madrid’s vocal support of legalization drew immediate criticism in the press. Html” target=” blank”> the Los Angeles Times reports. Hours after his pro-legalization interview, De la Madrid walked back his controversial stance a bit, tweeting a statement “to emphatically say that my opinion on legalizing marijuana was a personal comment. “

Full legalization in Mexico seems unlikely in the near future, as a majority of voters and church leaders oppose the idea. Still, support is slowly growing for cannabis reform among the country’s political leaders. In 2016, President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed a bill to allow personal possession of up to an ounce of cannabis.