Grow and Consume your Cannabis without Breaking the Law
In Mexico, the Constitutional Court declared in 2018 that prohibiting and criminalizing the recreational consumption of cannabis is illegal: it infringes on the right to the free development of personality. However, a series of legal loopholes persist, growing and consuming. It is necessary to have a special permit.
In this second chapter of ‘Jardines y Laberintos,’ Colombian anthropologist Marcela Vallejo talked to Paco Briones, founding member of ToQe, a family cooperative, intergenerational, that grows and processes medical cannabis. Briones explained how to have a legal cannabis crop for self-consumption from the Metropolitan area of the Valley of Mexico.
For Marcela’s guest, the legal vacuum surrounding cannabis is compounded by another problem: lack of information. “Yes, you have the right, but you can neither commercialize it nor alter public order. That is like this declaration’s big lock,” he explained. “And that is when consumption begins to be promoted in another way.” In Briones’ opinion, the problem is not only related to the effects of the plant “but to its social context.”
“Being well informed can give us the possibility of having a good criterion, and then we can decide what to consume and what not to consume,” he said. For this activist, cannabis consumption should be on the rise because even though it is recreational, he sees a potential for the welfare of people, “not only in the sense of diseases but also as a complement to health.” Today, there is evidence supporting the therapeutic use of cannabis in many ailments. In addition to watching the video, you can read the interview Marcela did a few months ago with Briones for the Vist portal.
‘Jardines y Laberintos: Conversaciones Sobre Drogas, Políticas y Violencias’ is a program of interviews with activists, growers, artists, researchers, and writers to discuss concrete cases and experiences around substances. You will find it posted every Thursday on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes!
