Cannabis’ new appraisal in Mexico. Midalia Denisse Arias

CANNABIS’ NEW APPRAISAL IN MEXICO

Overall, Cannabis has been considered a plant with different implications in terms of politics, economy, science, and culture. Having said that, it is interesting to imagine a clear scenario to enforce a balanced use and management of the plant. Although in most of the countries around the world, scientists have researched the use and management of Cannabis in terms of human health, for decades in Mexico, the stigma spawned on the myths of Cannabis or marijuana has limited the management of this plant for scientific or biomedical researching, restraining the advance to obtain more information and awareness on the medicinal and pharmacological potential of the active ingredients produced by Cannabis. It is to note that in Mexico City, on January 12, 2021, the Official Federation Journal published the Health Law on Medicinal Cannabis, which allows the management of several researching and development process to generate specific information on Cannabis in terms of particular characteristics presented by the metabolites of the plant. This represents a huge advance in Mexican legislation.

Is not easy to start the road to the development and evaluation of medicinal trials on phytocannabinoids (active ingredients) and terpenes (molecules that confer the smell and flavor of Cannabis). However, it will be necessary to limit the myriad of activities ruled by this law, as well as estimating the new scopes on innovation and development, but also, determining new adequate applications evaluated by quality controls and regulatory criteria that allow traceability and validation, from raw materials to the standardization of Cannabis derivatives, developed through Mexican investigations, and other derivatives introduced to the country. The dimension on research, education, health, nutrition, business, agronomy, etc., must be considered since the adapting of these sectors will be essential to play a critical role in the technological development applied to Cannabis cultivation in Mexican fields. Crops can be derived to produce cellulose, paper, fibers, textiles, bioplastics, textile industry derivatives, nutritional supplements, and pharmacological products, to mention some applications. Taking into account the wide range of possibilities that Cannabis offers for its use and management in the social fabric, it is necessary to have a new appraisal on the plant, which potential benefits give us a glimpse to the applicative universe that Cannabis offers, allowing us to foresee the vast future that Mexico can implement with the development, knowledge, research, and innovation of Cannabis.

Midalia Denisse Arias Vergara

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Biology by the Veracruz University, Master Science’s degree in pharmacology with Specialty in Molecule design with biological activity in the molecular modeling and bioinformatics laboratory – Medical School, IPN postgraduate unit. She currently works at the Department of Clinical resolution and analysis of the Cardiology Hospital “Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI” of the Mexican Institute of Social Security and the Mexican Academy of Cannabis Medicine (AMMEDCAN).