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Incoming Mexican Government Takes Big Step To Legalize Marijuana

On Thursday, the country's next interior minister submitted a bill to create a cannabis industry and allow recreational use of the drug.

Incoming Mexican Government Takes Big Step To Legalize Marijuana
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Mexico's incoming government has taken another big step toward legalizing marijuana.

On Thursday, the country's next interior minister submitted a bill to create a cannabis industry and allow recreational use of the drug.

This is a pretty significant shift in Mexico's drug strategy. For years, the country has used its military to fight drug gangs, which has led to significant violence. But Mexico's president-elect has pledged to switch to a more peaceful approach to the war on drugs.

If the new legislation passes, it would legalize the possession, public use, growing and sales of pot. The bill would need a stamp of approval from both houses of congress to pass.

The move comes a little more than a week after Mexico's Supreme Court decided that a ban on recreational marijuana was unconstitutional.