First Canada, Now Mexico - We're Gonna Be Surrounded By Countries With Legal Marijuana By The End Of The Year

April 29, 2019, 08:38 PM

Il Cattivo

I saw this today, and was flabbergasted just because I had never heard this. Throw in the fact that the Texas House voted to semi-decriminalize the stuff today (one ounce or less is punishable by a fine of up to $500, but no jail time, see http://www.statesman.com/news/...marijuana-possession ) and my notion of normal is definitely going to be altered.

quote:
Excerpted from: Mexico Aims To Legalize Recreational Marijuana Before October
Sean Williams, The Motley Fool, April 28, 2019

In June 2017, Mexico became one of the aforementioned 40-plus countries to legalize medical marijuana, which is no small feat given the control certain drug cartels wield in Mexico. With this medical pot infrastructure already in place, the time has come for Mexico to take the next logical step and become the third country worldwide to have broadly legalized cannabis.

Of course, Mexico's lawmakers aren't necessarily considering legalization because they feel it's the right thing to do, or because an estimated 80% of the public in informal polling favors legalization. Rather, Mexico's lawmakers are being coerced by the nation's Supreme Court. You see, anytime Mexico's Supreme Court reaches five similar decisions on an issue, the standard set by the court is applied throughout the country. With regard to recreational marijuana, Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled five times since 2015 that the imposition of a ban on recreational pot is unconstitutional. In effect, the Supreme Court has made legalization the standard, and now it's up to Mexico's Senate to amend existing laws to reflect this ruling.

According to Marijuana Moment, lawmakers plan to use the summer recess, which begins May 1 and runs through Aug. 31, to rework legislation to legalize recreational marijuana throughout Mexico. This recess period is particularly important given that the Supreme Court has imposed an October deadline to develop a regulatory plan for cannabis.

Should Mexico indeed move forward with legalization before October, as well as develop a plan to reduce or eliminate cartel interference, it could be on a path to usurp Canada as the most important marijuana market in the world. The reason? Just look at the population variance between the two countries. Canada had a population of 37 million in 2018, with about one in six adults using marijuana during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile Mexico has a population of approximately 130 million. If a similar percentage of adults pay for legal cannabis, Mexico could dwarf Canada in terms of long-term sales potential.

Full original text at http://www.fool.com/investing/...l-marijuana-bef.aspx

There's already plenty of pot coming across the border as it is. Heaven only knows how many people are going to be bringing back a little MJ from Mexico if its perfectly legal there. All I can tell you is that its going to look juuust about like all the little old ladies and men who go across for lunch, cheap drinks and a little shopping and then try to sneak in a bottle of liquor duty-free when they come back across - which is to say massive in aggregate.

April 29, 2019, 08:59 PM

tatortodd

Mexico has laws? Who knew?

April 29, 2019, 09:07 PM

1967Goat

They come to Colorado for the really good stuff.

April 29, 2019, 09:31 PM

shovelhead

Michigan legalized recreational use last year. One point was made during the campaign "it will reduce crime related to sales and possession."

Guess they did not read and sign the waiver:https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2019/04/23/man-killed-2-wanted-inkster-shooting/3547308002/

April 29, 2019, 09:34 PM

Il Cattivo

Jeez. What are the Michigan taxes on it like?

April 29, 2019, 09:36 PM

sigfreund

Good.
Perhaps it will keep all the businessmen from coming to Colorado.

April 30, 2019, 01:04 PM

ChuckWall

quote:
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2019/04/23/man-killed-2-wanted-inkster-shooting/3547308002/

The idiots in California have so over-taxed this bonanza that the street dealer is still viable. They must think a state that encourages lawless illegals is a state that will just go legal on the price difference.

April 30, 2019, 01:11 PM

FishOn

Frankly, I support legal cannabis. It is inevitable. We should tax it and make money for the states. I do not use cannabis, but I do believe we should legalize it and tax it. Why not take the profits away from the Mexican drug lords? Pot smokers will smoke pot. That will never change. I have no problem with that. Smoking pot is safer than tobacco or heavy alcohol use.

April 30, 2019, 01:13 PM

gearhounds

There are several states where it’s legal so we’re well on our way too. But don’t worry, legalization will get rid of the criminal drug trade... haha I still remember that joke from the early days of talk of making it available over the counter. Hahaha, oh my, it still cracks me up!

April 30, 2019, 01:25 PM

FishOn

quote:
Originally posted by gearhounds:
There are several states where it’s legal so we’re well on our way too. But don’t worry, legalization will get rid of the criminal drug trade... haha I still remember that joke from the early days of talk of making it available over the counter. Hahaha, oh my, it still cracks me up!

Be safe. Do not crack up yourself too hard!

April 30, 2019, 01:49 PM

HRK

Legal MJ in every state will help with the problem that CO and CA et al have created, which we who queston legal MJ have stated from day 1. The creation of Internal distribution centers for illegal MJ.

CO, CA et all just eliminated the need to mule MJ over the border into some of the western areas of the USA...

You'll need every state to combat that, and even then it will simply open the borders of every state for the cartels to transport, since cops won't be looking for it since it's legal.

I'm for the legalization, get it out of the courts and jails for possession, and even if it's legal we'll still have the cartels, illegal distribution and sales, and it will be harder to stop. ATF and the IRS will have to hire thousands to help enforce the new pot laws to get the money, as will the states, or just accept that illegal MJ is going to stay and factor that into the budget.

I'm not sure the cartels are not behind the push for legal pot, and for that matter, the wall.

Think about it, with the wall, supply is expected to be diminished, with that naturally prices go up.

The problems with import are eliminated as is distribution, intra- and interstate transport becomes easier, losses to DEA are eliminated both supply and cash.

Cartels could create legal growers in the US, setup locations for distribution nationwide and own that market as well as move illegal MJ through those channels since they'd own it all.

If I were the Cartel i'd be backing the wall with money into politicians and sending as many people to the border to cross to make the USA citizens demand the wall.

Then again I watched Machette last night, so the odds of me writing a script off that are nil... Maybe Machette meets Alejandro flick, and Emily Blunt and Jessica ALba along with Michelle Rodriquez and we'll need Chigurh because anyone with an air powered door lock remover is just cool....

April 30, 2019, 02:08 PM

Ryanp225

About time. I'm way more concerned by the amount of sugar in everything than I am if someone smokes a little pot.

April 30, 2019, 02:19 PM

Il Cattivo

quote:
Originally posted by HRK:
I'm not sure the cartels are not behind the push for legal pot, and for that matter, the wall.

I'm not sure that is logically true. Colorado's got a glut of the stuff because so many people are now growing it legally - which (I'm told) is a major reason why the black market is still competitive there. If it's legal in Mexico, then I believe any number of people will be bringing it across the border as well. In other words, even the cartel can't be a gatekeeper when anyone and everyone can be a player at a small level.

Then again, my initial response to sigfreund's post was "I'll settle for getting the cartels out of Big Bend National Park" - only I'm not entirely sure legalization would do that either as long as illegals cross the border and there's a market for heroin, meth and cocaine. Big Bend has been a wild and wooly place for a long, long time.

quote:
Emily Blunt

If there was ever anyone who has no place even being in a movie about drug trafficking along the border, it's that washed-out little waif. Even Guillermo Del Toro couldn't make her look cool, and he's cooler than Jason Robard and Roy Scheider combined.

April 30, 2019, 06:07 PM

armored

I see it coming.
Been buying "pot" stocks for the last month.

April 30, 2019, 07:14 PM

parabellum

Invest in Twinkies and Doritos

April 30, 2019, 07:21 PM

ZSMICHAEL

quote:
Then again, my initial response to sigfreund's post was "I'll settle for getting the cartels out of Big Bend National Park" - only I'm not entirely sure legalization would do that either as long as illegals cross the border and there's a market for heroin, meth and cocaine. Big Bend has been a wild and wooly place for a long, long time.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Was there in 1973. Rode across the Rio Grande with the chickens for a quarter. Relatively safe back then. Boquillas del Carmen looked like a film location for a no name town in a Spaghetti Western. Loved the isolation in the Park.

April 30, 2019, 07:40 PM

shovelhead

quote:
Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Jeez. What are the Michigan taxes on it like?

Nobody knows. Look at this article:https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/04/michigan-recreational-marijuana-rules-moving-swiftly.html

April 30, 2019, 07:46 PM

StorminNormin

I have zero problem with MJ being legalized. My mom has cancer and a THC/CBD combination helps people with her cancer, but it is not legal in Texas except for people with seizures who have already tried all possible medications.

I know of no cases where someone did MJ only and went out and went crazy. Quite the opposite. Someone may be pissed and want to go do something, smoke some pot, and then decide to chill out and eat Doritos and watch tv.

I say legalize it nationwide. I am not for legalizing any other drug. Pot is no worse than alcohol.

Heck, now they even have vape pens with THC so you are not getting the tar of smoking pot similar to smoking cigarettes, which means less damage to lungs.

April 30, 2019, 08:50 PM

Il Cattivo

^^^ Which raises an interesting bit of irony about marijuana legalization and good intentions. Here in Texas, vape oils are considered 'concentrates' and are therefore penalized more heavily than marijuana itself. Everybody hates smoking in general, no one wants to have a heavy odor around, and the one way to avoid the things that make marijuana smoke obnoxious will actually get you in deeper trouble with the law. IIUC, that the definition of concentrates also covers food, water, soda pop - anything but buds and shake - as well as stuff like hash oil or shatter.

Then again, Colorado's having a time with marijuana legalization and its Clean Air Act. The law was passed to prevent (I think) people from smoking tobacco in bars. You can buy pot, you can smoke it in private, but you can't open a 'marijuana cafe' or something like they did in Amsterdam so that people can smoke it in a public venue. That may change, though - I'm told marijuana retailers are lobbying the Denver City Council like there's no tomorrow.