Mexico's top court demands regulation on medical marijuana after long delays

[August 15, 2019]  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's supreme court ordered the health ministry on Wednesday to issue regulation within six months on medical marijuana use, saying its failure to do so after legalization in 2017 had put rights at risk for patients, including children.

The court made the decision as part of its ruling in favor of a child who needed medication derived from cannabis substance THC to treat epilepsy.

"Due to the absence of rules regulating the therapeutic use of cannabis, it was impossible for the plaintiff to access treatment based on this substance or any of its derivatives," the court said in a statement.

The health ministry had been instructed to update its guidelines within half a year following a June 2017 reform to legalize marijuana for medical and scientific needs.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday it would comply with the court's ruling and ensure the child's access to treatment.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government submitted a bill in November to create a medical marijuana industry and allow its recreational use, part of a crime-fighting plan that would make Mexico one of the world's most populous countries to legalize the drug.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Paul Tait)

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