Mexico
North America
#25 of 196 worldwide
#10 of 23 in North America
The Supreme Court struck down the ban on personal use in 2021, but Congress never passed a regulatory law. Adults can seek a permit to grow and consume; there is no legal market.
Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources.
Possession · 25%3/10adds 7.5 of 25 points
Without paperwork, the only protection is the long-standing rule that up to 5 g is not prosecuted. In June 2021 the Supreme Court struck down the ban on adult personal use, but the right is exercised through an individual permit from the health regulator COFEPRIS, which allows possession of up to 28 g. Without a permit, anything over 5 g can still be prosecuted.
Personal cultivation · 25%3/10adds 7.5 of 25 points
Legal only with a COFEPRIS permit, which authorises growing for your own use — in practice up to six plants, eight for households with two or more adults. The permit requires a formal application, and obtaining legal seeds is itself a problem. Growing without one is a crime.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%3/10adds 6.0 of 20 points
Small-scale users are often released, but extortion and arbitrary detention over possession are widely reported. Possession above the thresholds and any supply are federal crimes with prison.
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Permits are strictly personal and do not allow supplying anyone else. Any transfer remains an offence.
Consumption · 10%3/10adds 3.0 of 10 points
Permit holders may consume in private, not in front of minors or non-consenting people, and not in public. Police treatment of public use varies widely by city.
Legal access · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
No legal sales at all. Congress has never passed the regulatory law the Court called for, so there are no dispensaries, and unlicensed shops operate at their own risk.
More context not part of the score
Medical and industrial licences exist on paper since 2021 regulations; adult-use commercial production is not permitted.
Low-THC and CBD products are sold; a handful of medical products are registered. No legal THC retail products.
Medical cannabis was legalised in 2017 and regulations were issued in 2021, allowing prescription and import of approved products. Availability is limited.
The permit creates a record of your use with a federal agency. Cases under 5 g are closed without a conviction.
All sources
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