Mexico’s Supreme Court Again Extends Deadline for Cannabis Legalization Bill

Mexico’s Supreme Court has extended an April 30 deadline for lawmakers to draft legislation to legalize and regulate cannabis for medical, adult and industrial uses, as first reported by Politico.mx.

Lawmakers now have until Dec. 15, the end of the next legislative session, to approve legislation to end cannabis prohibition, according to Marijuana Moment.

Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled last year that an absolute ban on adult-use cannabis was unconstitutional, which forced lawmakers to regulate it at the federal level.

The Senate considered legislation last year to legalize and regulate cannabis, but lawmakers missed a Supreme Court-imposed deadline to pass the bill by the end of October, which prompted the deadline extension to April 30.

Senators asked the Supreme Court last month to extend the deadline again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused Mexico to suspend many legislative procedures.