(Mexico City) The first chamber of the Supreme Court of Mexico on Wednesday authorized for the first time a company to plant, cultivate and harvest cannabis for industrial purposes and in compliance with sanitary rules.
This is the Canadian company Xebra Brands, based in Vancouver and dedicated to the cultivation of hemp and the production of products such as cannabis infused drinks.
The Mexican court examined an appeal filed by Desart MX, a Mexican subsidiary of the Canadian company Xebra Brands, against the bans on the industrial use of cannabis.
The text voted on allows the company to obtain “the authorization to plant, cultivate and harvest hemp, provided that it guarantees that the plant produces concentrations equal to or less than 1%” of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), its active substance.
However, this production must comply with “the conditions of surveillance, control and security that the competent authority […] deems appropriate to protect public health and order ”.
A judicial source explained to AFP that this decision only benefits the company which filed the appeal but that it is a first step towards the granting of full permits.
The text also emphasizes that the contested measure affects freedom of trade, and is not essential for the protection of health and the fight against addictions, the effects of hemp being minimal in concentrations below 1% THC.
This decision joins others rendered by the Supreme Court in recent years to end the system of banning the use of hemp.
This year, the highest court decriminalized the recreational use of marijuana and instructed Congress to legislate on the matter.
This bill is still under discussion in the Senate after being voted on in the Chamber of Deputies.
Uruguay and Colombia have the most advanced regulations for the production, marketing and export of cannabis in Latin America.
In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis.
Colombia, for its part, authorized the industrial use of cannabis and its export for medicinal purposes last July.