The Mexican Ministry of Health issued a Law (UU) regulating the use of medical marijuana on Tuesday, January 12.

This is a major step for Mexico to create the world’s largest legal marijuana market in Latin America.

As cited from Reuters on Wednesday January 13, the law has been signed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. As a result, pharmaceutical companies can start conducting medical research on cannabis products.

For pharmaceutical companies that wish to conduct research related to cannabis, they must obtain permission from the Mexican health regulator, COFEPRIS. The research must be carried out in an independent laboratory that is strictly controlled.

“The regulatory standards are very, very high,” said Luisa Conesa, a lawyer and pro-cannabis activist. He is the man who spearheaded the legal challenges leading to the decriminalization of medical cannabis.

“The regulations are not aimed at patients growing cannabis themselves. It is aimed at pharmaceutical companies that produce pharmaceutical cannabis derivatives classified as controlled substances that require a prescription,” Conesa said.

Not only that, the articles of the law are also equipped with details such as the rules for planting, cultivating and harvesting marijuana for medicinal purposes. In that sense, any pharmaceutical company can legally grow marijuana on Mexican soil.

Previously, legalizing marijuana in Mexico marked a major change. Which, because of years of violence hit by hostile drug cartels, cannabis is used as a coffers of income. Because of this, the cannabis market is fully regulated by the government.