Dozens of cannabis users and advocates marched through downtown Tijuana on Saturday, May 2, calling for full decriminalization of marijuana and an end to police harassment of consumers.
The march began at 2 p.m. at the México Monument on Paseo de los Héroes, one of Tijuana’s main boulevards. Protesters walked through the city center to the iconic Arco Monumental on Avenida Revolución, the gateway arch familiar to visitors crossing from San Diego. Municipal police escorted the procession.
Organizers Say Lawmakers Lack Political Will
Spokeswoman Madaí Mondaca of the Baja California Cannabis Community said Mexican legislators lack the political will to pass comprehensive cannabis regulation. She pointed to a backlog at COFEPRIS (the Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks), Mexico’s health regulatory agency, where more than 12,000 people nationwide are still waiting for medical-use accreditation that is rarely granted.
The frustration is rooted in years of legal limbo. Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized recreational cannabis use in June 2021, ruling that adults could possess and consume marijuana upon obtaining an individual permit from COFEPRIS. But Congress has repeatedly failed to pass enabling legislation that would create a regulated commercial market.
A Legal Gray Zone for Residents and Visitors
Under current federal law, personal possession of up to 28 grams of cannabis is decriminalized for adults, and individuals may cultivate up to six plants at home. Medical cannabis with less than one percent THC has been legal since 2017. In practice, the gap between court rulings and legislative action means enforcement varies widely.
For expats and tourists in Baja, the situation remains a gray area. Possession of small amounts is unlikely to result in criminal charges, but cannabis is not legally sold in dispensaries or shops. Cross-border transport between the U.S. and Mexico remains illegal in both directions, regardless of California’s recreational market.
Baja California has long been considered one of Mexico’s more progressive states on cannabis policy, partly because of its cultural proximity to California. Tijuana-based advocacy groups have for years pushed for reform, and local entrepreneurs have built cannabis-adjacent businesses in anticipation of eventual legalization.
Activists Push for Congressional Action
Saturday’s march was part of a broader movement timed around early May, when cannabis advocacy events take place across Mexico. Organizers said the demonstration aimed to pressure federal lawmakers into finally passing a regulatory framework that would allow legal sales, protect consumers from police abuse, and clear the COFEPRIS permit backlog.
The march was first reported by Punto Norte.