{"id":43,"date":"2022-04-28T22:17:46","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T22:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acapulcoweed.com\/?p=43"},"modified":"2022-04-28T22:17:46","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T22:17:46","slug":"weed-in-acapulco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acapulcoweed.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/28\/weed-in-acapulco\/","title":{"rendered":"Weed in Acapulco"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Weed in Acapulco<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

July 8, 2019 by<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acapulco is located on the Pacific coast of Mexico, it is the home of Mexico\u2019s largest beach and oldest resort. Every year millions of tourists visit the picturesque bay. If you visit, you might want to smoke some weed and take your vacation up a notch. Cannabis is illegal in Mexico, but the laws are not enforced that well, especially in the more touristy places. You should not have much of a problem getting some marijuana during your visit. Read on for our complete guide to cannabis in Acapulco.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cannabis laws in Mexico<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Drugs are a big problem in Mexico and in recent years there has been a movement towards more liberal legislation, and legalization of cannabis. Legalization could have potential economic benefits and also help with the fight against the cartels. Currently, however, weed is illegal. Possession of small amounts of marijuana meant for personal use is decriminalized and all you can get is a recommendation to enter a rehabilitation program, but it is not mandatory. A small amount of weed is considered anything under 5 grams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though you will not get in much trouble for having a couple of grams of weed on you, it is still better to be safe. The Mexican police can be very corrupt and you do not want to get their attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding weed in Acapulco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite weed being illegal, there is a lot of it going around, especially in touristy places like Acapulco. If you walk in the main street there is a good chance you will be approached to buy weed. Otherwise, ask the people working in shops that sell pipes and other stoner things, they will usually be able to hook you up. You should be careful with dealers and always ask to see the weed before you pay. You can expect to pay about 5-6$ per gram<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has said that he doesn’t approve of national legalization in his country, but that opinion might be changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manuel Velasquez\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 19th, 2017, Mexico legalized medical marijuana, or more specifically, \u201cpharmacological derivatives of cannabis<\/a>\u201d to be regulated and studied by the Ministry of Health. But, for now, Mexico\u2019s medical cannabis market will look much different than say, California\u2019s, which sells everything from cannabis flower to THC-infused massage oil. Currently, \u201ccannabis derivatives\u201d in Mexico, like oils and pills, must contain less than one percent THC. Although some activists are hopeful and working to change this conservative allotment, many believe that full cannabis legalization is what will help Mexico the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis current law is so limited as to be practically useless. But we\u2019re headed in the right direction and the attitude is changing,\u201d says Laura Carlsen, political analyst and director of the Americas Program at the Center for International Policy<\/a> in Mexico City. Here, what you need to know about Mexico\u2019s marijuana program, and where it might go from here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RELATED<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Canada’s Legal Weed: What You Need to Know<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s legal so far? 
<\/strong>Mexico began changing its marijuana policy in 2009<\/a> when it decriminalized the possession of up to five grams, as well as small, \u201cpersonal use\u201d amounts of cocaine, heroin, and other drugs, in an effort to treat addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal offense. Instead of jail time, those found in possession of substances are encouraged to enter treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the real change came in 2015, when eight-year-old Graciela Elizalde<\/a>, who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy known as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, brought medical cannabis to the public\u2019s attention in Mexico. CBD oil helped to drastically reduce her seizures and improve her quality of life, and so she became the first Mexican medical marijuana patient after a Supreme Court ruling<\/a> in her favor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, a medical cannabis bill has passed through both the Mexican Senate<\/a> and the Lower House of Congress<\/a> with an overwhelming majority, and President Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto signed the bill into law on June 19th, 2017. Now, Mexico\u2019s Ministry of Health has until mid-December, to write regulations for medical marijuana, half the time the state of California is taking to write their adult-use regulations. If Mexico meets its deadline, products derived from cannabis could be available in Mexican pharmacies in early 2018 to help treat diseases like epilepsy, Parkinson\u2019s, and cancer.<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its new law, Mexico has joined a handful of countries that have federally legalized medicinal marijuana, along with Canada, Israel, Uruguay, Puerto Rico and Germany \u2013 though notably not the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Former<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How popular is cannabis legalization in Mexico?
<\/strong>Mexico is a conservative country with 81 percent<\/a> of the population self-identifying as Catholic. The Catholic Church has come out against pot, medicinal or otherwise. One of their main arguments against legalization is that it will encourage teenagers<\/a> to start toking up. Although, as we\u2019ve seen in Colorado<\/a>, ending prohibition lowers marijuana use among teens instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most popular Catholic newspaper in the country, Desde La Fe<\/em> (From the Faith), published a couple of op-eds opposing legalization, claiming cannabis has no medicinal benefits and that the government saying so \u201cconfuses the public<\/a>.\u201d A main argument for ending marijuana prohibition in Mexico is to help curb narcotraficante<\/em> (drug cartel) violence. Yet the Catholic Church believes legalization will do exactly the opposite, and ended a 2017 editorial<\/a> with the line, \u201cIn our sad horizon appears a sick and violent country,\u201d referring to a Mexico with legal weed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But compared to the U.S., cannabis has less support from the public and is still heavily stigmatized in Mexico. In November 2015, just days after Grace Elizalde\u2019s landmark case, the Center of Social Studies and Public Opinion (CESPO) surveyed<\/a> Mexicans and found 82 percent were against allowing cannabis sales and distribution in Mexico, 73 percent rejected legalizing it for recreational purposes, yet 76 percent approved legalizing it for medical use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up north, Americans have an opposite opinion of ending marijuana prohibition: 60 percent support full legalization according to a 2017 Quinnipiac Poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legalization in the U.S. has had a huge impact on the public perception of cannabis in Mexico. In a recent interview<\/a> with Cultura Colectiva<\/em>, President Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto, who was previously against legalizing<\/a> marijuana, said, \u201cI\u2019m not ruling out that in the near future marijuana will be fully legalized in Mexico. It\u2019s already occurring in other countries, particularly the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is full legalization in Mexico possible?
<\/strong>The momentum to legalize cannabis in Mexico is there, and no one has been more outspoken about this than former President Vicente Fox Quesada. In the past, Fox believed Mexico could fully legalize marijuana by 2018<\/a>, but in a recent interview, he admitted Mexico\u2019s upcoming presidential election, scheduled for July 1st, 2018, could stall any progress on this front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting into an electoral process for the presidency of Mexico,\u201d says Fox. \u201cSo I think it\u2019s going to be very difficult to advance during this period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox is also working with Mexican politicians, like Fernando Belaunzaran<\/a>, on legalization efforts. Belaunzaran, a former congressman, has been a proponent for legalizing cannabis in Mexico since he proposed a bill<\/a> for full legalization back in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m working with a couple of congressmen and senators that are very positive about the subject [of legalizing marijuana]. They\u2019ve been pursuing, pushing, and promoting [the issue],\u201d says Fox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also met with American activist and dispensary owner, Steve DeAngelo, on the matter during a recent visit to Oakland, California. He was in the Bay Area because he was the keynote speaker at the National Cannabis Industry Association<\/a> (NCIA) convention where he said that, one day, Mexico could produce up to 60 percent<\/a> of all the legal weed in the U.S., and that cannabis should be incorporated into NAFTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But more than a cash crop, Fox views ending prohibition as the best way to fight cartel violence in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the very first step to start taking away from cartels all the money they get from this illegal activity,\u201d says Fox. \u201cThis is a slow process, but I\u2019m sure it will happen one day soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"(FILE)<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Could legalization hurt cartels?
<\/strong>There is a long history of drug trafficking, political corruption<\/a>, and violence in Mexico that is all closely intertwined. On December 11th, 2006, then-President Felipe Calder\u00f3n launched a \u201cwar on drugs<\/a>\u201d that escalated violence and insecurity in Mexico to new heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many reasons Calder\u00f3n\u2019s war intensified violence. For one, his \u201ckingpin<\/a>\u201d strategy to dismantle cartels backfired, destabilizing organizations causing a violent internal power struggle, which also gave life to new, smaller, and reportedly more dangerous gangs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But another main cause of the spike in violence, especially homicide and \u201cdisappeared\u201d people, was his militarization<\/a> of local law enforcement, and his massive increase to Mexico\u2019s security and military budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corruption seeped into the municipal police and the military, despite efforts to fire corrupt individuals, making Calder\u00f3n\u2019s militarization dangerous. A 2009 study<\/a> from the Justice in Mexico<\/a> organization found that 93.6 percent of municipal police in Mexico depend on corruption to make a living wage. Considering 61 percent of officers made 4,000 pesos or less per month in 2009 (the equivalent of about $300 in 2009<\/a>), it\u2019s not surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the big problems with prohibition is that it gives corrupt and abusive law enforcement forces a major justification for shakedowns,\u201d says the Center for International Policy\u2019s Carlsen.<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Mexico\u2019s war on drugs began in 2006, it\u2019s been estimated around 200,000<\/a> people have been killed. But even that is a hard number to estimate in a country where 30,000<\/a> people have been reported missing, and mass-graves<\/a> of unidentified people are frequently found in the countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But many believe this violence is a reason to end marijuana prohibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen people have legal, regulated places to buy marijuana, it takes the whole business out of the hands of organized crime,\u201d says Carlsen. \u201cMarijuana is a huge chunk of cartel income. Without that income there is an automatic reduction in their capacity to buy weapons, recruit teens, bribe politicians. Prohibition is the best thing that ever happened to organized crime \u00adthey couldn\u2019t survive a day without it. So as we dial back the disastrous prohibition regime, cartels are forced like any business to downsize. They lose market, lose demand, reduce production and lose power to control territory and communities.\u201d<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In This Article: Latin<\/a>, War on Drugs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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