Legal & Regulatory

Mexico’s Baja California favors the use of medical cannabis

National cannabis legalization in Mexico has fallen behind due to the coronavirus pandemic, as the discussion has been pushed until next year. Still, some states has been taking legal decisions to depenalize the use of this plant, such as Baja California. The province decided to approve a cannabis-based medical treatment for 30 patients of the Red Lotus Foundation to treat symptoms of cancer and epilepsy.

The free and sovereign state of Baja California (northeast), that vast sword-shaped peninsula that looks like it belongs to the United States but belongs to Mexico, has already taken a step forward in regards to cannabis. It did so, even amidst the sluggish management at the federal level to achieve the decriminalization of the plant.

The federal judiciary ordered the Secretary of Health to provide medical treatment with cannabis to 30 patients of the Red Lotus Foundation, using this substance therapeutically to alleviate the symptoms of illnesses such as cancer and epilepsy, said their legal advisor, Emanuel Farías Camarero.

Farias Camarero said that the judges’ decision was unanimous in the Sixth Collegiate Tribunal of the XV Judicial Circuit based in Mexicali.

“Since this is a matter related to the right to health, this court considers that the social interest is not affected, nor are public order provisions contravened, because society is interested in guaranteeing the right to health protection for individuals. In particular, the applicants may have access to the treatment of the medicine necessary to reduce the discomfort and/or pain caused by the disease they suffer, pending the outcome of the main trial.”

If you want to know more about cannabis, how the Red Lotus Federation located in the Baja California province of Mexico is using medical cannabis to treat a small group of patients, and to find out the latest hemp news, download the Hemp.im mobile application.

Minors will be especially protected by this decision

The ruling especially considers “minors, because the effects on children would be greater than those that society might suffer.” The cannabis patients were notified of the precautionary measure on July 10th, 2020.

Judges Alejandro Gracia Gómez, José Encarnación Aguilar Moya, and acting secretary Víctor Manuel Valenzuela Caperón were the ones who decided on the appeal.

It started with a demand for the Secretary of Health to harmonize the regulations on the therapeutic use of cannabis. This was a circumstance to which this authority had been obliged for three years. And as a result of the reform of the General Health Law published in June 2017.

The judges also based their decision on a legal precedent that the Supreme Court issued in August 2019. On that occasion, a minor user of medical cannabis was protected. Both trials are identical in terms of the subject matter of the claim.

Mexico’s legal principle is what made this legal decision possible

That is why the legal principle known as the appearance of good law was demonstrated.

It allows judges in Mexico to make a preliminary value judgment. Furthermore, that allows them to estimate that the main trial will be resolved in a manner favorable to the interests of the complainants.

After more than a year of litigation, the Red Lotus Foundation is once again fulfilling one of its main objectives. This is to educate society about the use of cannabis for medical purposes, as an integral part of the right to health.

Red Lotus lives it as a historical and transcendent failure. It recognizes this prerogative in favor of each of the patients who are part of this judicial action, and implicitly, for the rest of the population of Mexico. This situation is what empowers them to preventively advance the outcome of the same.

This prevents the delay in justice from having a negative impact on those who, from the beginning, are in the right, said Emmanuel Farias Camarero, a graduate in Drug Policy, Health and Human Rights from the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, author of the legal strategy used.

__

(Featured image by Tim Mossholder via Pexels)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Hemp.im, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in La Marihuana, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Hemp.im assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Hemp.im is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.

Olivia McCall

Olivia McCall is passionate about education, women and children’s rights, and the environment. A long-time investor, she covers news about the latest stocks (lately marijuana and tech), IPOs and indices, and is always on the lookout for socially responsible startups. She also writes about the food sector, and has a keen interest on cryptocurrencies.

Recent Posts

Berlin Will Launch Pilot Project for Legal Cannabis Sales

Berlin is launching a pilot project in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Neukölln districts to study the…

7 days ago

Legalizace, Czech Cannabis Magazine, Accused of “Promoting Drug Addiction”, Wins Case

The Czech Constitutional Court overturned a previous ruling accusing Robert Veverka, former editor of Legalizace,…

1 week ago

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Declares the War on Drugs a Failure

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has declared the war on drugs a…

1 week ago

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Unveil New Plan to Legalize Cannabis

Pennsylvania lawmakers have proposed a plan to legalize recreational cannabis by 2025. Projections estimate up…

2 weeks ago

United States — First Step in DEA Hearing on Cannabis Reclassification

The DEA just held its first procedural hearing on cannabis reclassification, although the focus was…

2 weeks ago

Brazil — Supreme Court Legalizes the Cultivation, Processing, and Sale of Hemp for Medical Purposes

The Superior Court of Justice in Brazil has legalized the cultivation, processing, and sale of…

2 weeks ago