International

Collectives predict that Mexico will not regulate cannabis until the US does so at the federal level

Different pro-cannabis groups predicted that Mexico will not regulate its consumption or production until the United States does so at the federal level, during the presentation of the Cannabis Encounter that will take place in the Mexican capital on April 27 and 28.

“As long as there is no federal regulation in the United States, we believe that federal regulation will not be allowed in Mexico,” said Julio Zenil, the director of the event, which brings together the leader of the international cannabis industry.

Zenil explained that, in Mexico, “the steps that have been taken” in this area at the federal level, which places the country in a “more advanced” position than US legislation, which depends on each state.

“There are rumors that the industry will not be regulated in the United States, they will not declassify cannabis, until the pharmaceutical industry is not in control,” he added, so he warned of the presence of “interests that go a little beyond” Mexico’s legislative capacities.

In 2021, the Supreme Court of Justice declared the ban on recreational marijuana consumption in the country unconstitutional, although the Government of the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and his party in Congress have refused to regulate it.

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While Congress has approved since 2017, in the six-year term of Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), the use of marijuana for health purposes, a regulation that depends on the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks.

Lawyer Manolo Castro, who will give a thematic talk at the Cannabis Encounter, reiterated the implications of these “issues of supranational interests” and removed the possibility of regulating the use of marijuana and its derivatives in the short term.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen either in these months or in the next three years,” he said, especially because of the electoral period that Mexico is currently experiencing. Even so, both he and Zenil recognized the birth of “different models of self-regulation” among citizens, which could be a “source of law.”

“If the Government puts its hands in taxes and all this, I don’t think it will end well for anyone,” said the artist Muelas de Gallo because, in his opinion, it would mean an increase in the price of the product, which would become a “privilege” for those who can afford it.

The Cannabis Event, which reaches its sixth edition and is organized by the magazine Cáñamo, offers the public conferences on both the recreational and therapeutic use of marijuana and its derivatives, as well as recreational activities and competitions.

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“The backbone (…), sharing information so that people have tools for debate and decision,” Zenil said.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.