- Title: Indigenous community turns to legal cannabis farming in Mexico
- Date: 8th August 2025
- Summary: SAN PABLO GUILA, OAXACA, MEXICO (FILE - JULY 3, 2025) (REUTERS) STREET IN COMMUNITY WITH SIGN READING (Spanish) 'Welcome to Sn. Pablo Guila' PEOPLE WALKING PAST MURAL PAINTING IN CITY STREETS VARIOUS OF PERSON WATERING MARIJUANA PLANTS IN GREENHOUSE MARIJUANA SEEDLINGS OF VARIOUS TYPES IN GREENHOUSE GREENHOUSE WORKER CHECKING MARIJUANA PLANT PEOPLE WALKING AMONG MARIJUANA
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: cannabis cannabis products economy legalization marijuana
- Location: SAN PABLO GUILA AND OAXACA CITY, OAXACA, MEXICO
- City: SAN PABLO GUILA AND OAXACA CITY, OAXACA, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: South America / Central America,North America,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001577708082025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:San Pablo Guila, a Zapotec community located about 60 kilometers from Oaxaca’s capital, has taken a historic step by turning to legal cannabis cultivation. Residents seized the opportunity after Mexico’s Supreme Court in 2017 ruled that prohibiting marijuana cultivation was unconstitutional.
Known for its agricultural roots and mezcal production, San Pablo Guila is now seeking to diversify its economy through cannabis, a plant locals have grown and used for generations, calling it "Kwan" in Zapotec.
While previous generations cultivated the crop illegally, today’s younger activists are using legal protections to do openly what their parents and grandparents could not: grow marijuana freely.
These young Zapotecs have organized themselves into rural producer societies and civil associations. With legal injunctions and health authorizations, they cultivate, transport, process, and consume cannabis products.
Most of those involved in the cultivation and care of the plants are women, growing crops in their backyards or greenhouses holding up to 300 plants.
Current health regulations prohibit the commercial sale of their harvest. Growers bring their cannabis to Oaxaca City, where the Rosa Maria Cannabis Club facilitates exchange among its members.
The club has become a safe space for marijuana consumption and operates through a membership system. Members pay fees to access the cannabis, and a portion of these funds is distributed to the producers in San Pablo Guila.
The club does not sell marijuana directly, as sale remains illegal. Instead, the membership allows for legal exchange.
Producers and activists hope the experience of this Zapotec community will set a precedent for broader regulation and eventual liberalization of Mexico’s cannabis market. For families in San Pablo Guila, full legalization could bring new economic opportunities and encourage people who've migrated to return and prosper with their loved ones.
The government’s reluctance to allow commercial sales remains main obstacle to enter the global marijuana market. For San Pablo Guila, the potential for change would mean hope for economic revitalization and social progress.
(Production: Gustavo Graf, Rodolfo Pena Roja, Gloria Lopez) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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