Cannabis tolerance zones: Mexico City's new safe spots for marijuana use and their rules.

The Mexico City government has established new recreational marijuana zones. Called cannabis tolerance zones, these spaces aim to provide consumers with a safe and tolerant place to use marijuana responsibly and in compliance with the law.

This comes after Mexico City's government recently eliminated the spaces it had established in mid-2021, when it negotiated with various groups, such as the Mexican Cannabis Movement and Plantón 420, to create consumption zones. Since then, camps have formed in different parts of the city center, the first one outside the Senate of the Republic and later, at the Estela de Luz and the Hidalgo metro station , all on Paseo de la Reforma Avenue.

Among the rules that had been established were a 12-hour schedule, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; a maximum stay of 40 minutes; drug sales, violence, alcohol consumption, and the taking of photos and videos in the area were prohibited; and finally, a maximum of 28 grams of marijuana (the legal amount) was established. However, these areas gradually became hot spots for drug sales, crime, and theft, so on August 4, the Ministry of the Interior issued an information card announcing "the clearing of public streets and the orderly relocation of the so-called cannabis hot spots." At the same time, the mayor of Mexico City confirmed that the encampments were removed after several complaints from the public.

The new spaces were announced in that statement, which are also centrally located but not visible to the general public.

From now on, those who want to consume marijuana can go to Plaza de la Concepción, on Belisario Domínguez near the corner of Eje Central; at the Simón Bolívar monument, very close to Violeta Street, on Paseo de la Reforma; and at the José Saramago reading plaza, just across the Estela de Luz, across Reforma. According to the institution, "these locations were carefully selected to avoid harming citizens, as they are located in areas with less pedestrian and vehicular traffic, which allows for a balance between the right to free expression and free movement in public spaces."

The new locations promise greater oversight, with staff from the Mexico City Ministry of the Interior permanently monitoring the space. There will also be an informational booth from the Institute for the Care and Prevention of Addictions, where visitors will be informed about how to use the new space, its limits, and its purposes. The exterior of the Senate will be a space for information only.

The relocation of marijuana consumption spots was carried out under an agreement that guarantees no cannabis sales or exchanges, prohibits the use of other substances, and ensures that passersby will not be disturbed, according to Mexico City Government Secretary César Cravioto Romero.

These are all the rules that are established:

• Access only for adults
• Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Maximum stay time of 40 minutes
• Possession of a maximum of 28 grams of marijuana
• It is forbidden to drink alcohol or ingest other substances.
• Recording or taking photos is not allowed.
• Maximum capacity of 100 people
• No entry with vehicles
• No type of violence or harassment is allowed.
• Buying and selling cannabis is prohibited.