Mexico's Supreme Court to Consider Legalizing Marijuana

The Mexican supreme court could legalize the consumption and production of marijuana for recreational later this month if it decides that parts of a federal law forbidding its production and consumpution are unconstitutional 

The court is set to vote on the issue in a hearing scheduled Oct. 28, according to documents posted on its website.

In August, a lower court granted a mother and father the right to import a marijuana-based medicine to treat their 8-year-old daughter's epilepsy.

Marijuana, along with cocaine and crystal meth, has been a major source of income for criminal gangs in Mexico, with the profits fueling official corruption and a violent drug war that has killed at least 80,000 people over the last decade.

RELATED: The Legacy of the War on Drugs in Mexico

Other countries in Latin America have decriminalized cannabis possession for personal use and in some cases legalized small-scale production. In Colombia, for instance, it has been legal to possess up to 22 grams of marijuana since 1994, though the sale of the plant remains illegal. Similarly, in Ecuador it is legal to possess up to 10 grams of cannabis, though sale and production remain prohibited.

The South American country Uruguay, meanwhile, has some of the most relaxed marijuana policies in the world. In 2013, former President José Mujica fully legalized the use of cannabis, with retail sales set to begin next year. The government has set the price for marijuana at $1.20 a gram.

RELATED: Uruguay Slams Big Tobacco, Defends Marijuana Policy