While the road to full legalization appears to have accelerated, especially compared to the U.S.'s debate over the so-called war on drugs, Mexico's path has not necessarily been driven by public or political demand. Instead, Mexico's Supreme Court issued a series of five rulings declaring the ban on the consumption of cannabis unconstitutional.
Under Mexican law, the number of decisions needed to set a precedent is five.
"Mexico went down the legalization path because of a quirk in the way their judicial system works," said Andrew Rudman, director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan research organization.
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