With cannabis plants in hand, a group of ambitious sugarcane growers from Tetecala, Mexico, joined activists in favor of legalization at the office of the Secretary of Health in the state capital of Cuernavaca, Morelos, to present your request for a license to grow marijuana to officials.
Your mission? Make Tetecala the first marijuana town in Mexico.
The town has produced sugar cane for decades, but the value of the crop has plummeted in recent years. Farmers now believe that their green fingers could be better harnessed to grow a totally different plant, which would be much more profitable and beneficial.
Another farmer and spokesman for the farmers’ association, Alejandro Vello Arellano, told the local media: «We are looking for the plantation license because it is what we know how to do… ..there should be no intermediaries. We present the application for a license to grow marijuana legally.
What we seek is to change the course of our town, attract commerce but also tourism [y] benefit more than 20,000 inhabitants ». But it didn’t take long for the group to learn that he had taken his case to the wrong officials and were informed that licensing is the job of federal authorities.
Located in the Mexican municipality of Morelos, Tetecalos is known for its fertile land and lush vegetation, which includes abundant fruit trees. With a population of just over 6,000 people, the town has long relied on sugar cane for income. But speaking in front of the Ministry of Health building, Mr. Vella Arellano explained that the crop has a value of 1,300 pesos at harvest time and is no longer profitable.
The peasants believe that obtaining a license to grow marijuana is the way to change the fortunes of Tetecala, commenting: “By applying for the license to grow marijuana, we seek to change the trajectory of our people, which for more than 30 years it has been affected by mismanagement, corruption and violence. We want to be the first cannabis town in all of Mexico.
The cannabis law in Mexico
The use of medical cannabis has been legal since 2017, and the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation declared the prohibition of cannabis unconstitutional as early as 2018. Recently, in June 2021, the court awarded activists another victory by repealing the laws that converted recreational use is an offense. Commercial production for recreational use remains illegal in Mexico. However, the June Supreme Court ruling means that personal use and cultivation are allowed if permission is granted from the Federal Commission on Sanitary Risks.
In order for Tetecala farmers to meet their goal, they need to acquire four licenses: for planting, sale, export, and transportation. They face an uphill battle as regulations on medical marijuana production currently prohibit small farmers from growing the plant.
Weed advocates in the area are hopeful that lawmakers will change the status of commercial production when the next legislative session begins in September. Mr. Vella Arellano stated: “Marijuana is being legalized in many parts of the world, and in localities in the United States, which is the main producer. Either we adapt to international standards, or we fall behind. ‘
How cannabis production would benefit the area
Farmers believe that a license to grow marijuana would benefit their battered livelihoods and the city’s economy due to the demand for recreational and medical marijuana. They could also take advantage of hemp to supply clothing and fabrics.
Morelos farmers believe it is time for Mexico to reclaim a place at the table of the burgeoning global cannabis industry, after decades in which production of the crop has been controlled by cartels.
The petition, presented to local authorities by the Civil Association of the United Peoples of the South of the State of Morelos, ensures that granting permission to farmers to grow cannabis would benefit thousands of local citizens, including peasant families from neighboring towns. .
CONTENT SOURCE:https://blog.seedsman.com/mexicos-first-cannabis-town/
