Updated 03:09 PM EDT, Thu, Mar 28, 2024

Mexico Sees First Patient to Receive Medical Marijuana in an 8-Year-Old Girl

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Donald Trump may have ranted about Mexican drug cartels being out of control, but when it comes to medical marijuana, it is only recently that the country embraced such thing.

According to Vice News, an eight-year-old girl nicknamed Grace, was the first ever Mexican citizen to be allowed the use of marijuana for medical purposes, a decision that the country is not very open about, considering their official view on the topic.

As the Mexican government emphasized, the decision to permit this treatment did not mean that marjuana or marijuana products are now legal in the country, although it could set a precedent for the future in terms of drug policy.

Grace's case, however, is somewhat a sort of exception, with a very long process.

Vice News said that the child suffers from Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, which can cause about 400 epileptic seizures a day, preventing her from going on with her everyday life. The child's parents, after exhausting every possible legal step, decided to turn to a public social-media campaign that pressured the Mexican authorities into approving the treatment for Grace.

Grace is certainly not the only one to suffer Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome in Mexico, and an activist promoting the legalization of drugs told El Pais, "Authorities have realized that they have to move forward on the therapeutic use of cannabis, either the easy way or the hard way." The activist then added, "And it seems like they are doing it the easy way."

Cofepris, the Mexican health agency overseeing medical imports, agreed to an importation of Epidiolex, a drug by GW Pharmaceuticals currently in its development phase. The medicine is reportedly going to arrive in Mexico within the week, but Cofepris emphasized on the government's stance on medical marijuana, noting that Grace's is a special case.

The official statement read, "this ruling does not authorize the importation of marijuana in any of its forms."

While this is a big issue in Mexico, medical marijuana is legal in 23 States, Canada, and some countries in Europe. However, in the U.S., the government emphasized that the laws allowing the use of marijuana depends on the state, with many local governments creating zoning and enforcement ordinances to avoid the creation of marijuana dispensaries.

However, despite the varying degrees of the legality of marijuana in the US, Congress has determined the drug dangerous, and illegal distribution or sale is considered a serious crime. For more information on the legality of Marijuana in the US, check out the DOJ website.

What is your stand on the legality of Medical Marijuana debate?

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