Mexico City May Legalize Weed

Deep in the heart of the Tepito – the traditional home of Mexico City's black market – Juan's two mobile phones buzz constantly as he gets closes his deal. He takes the calls with precise and efficient directions, but a certain twitchiness breaks through his clean cut and calm exterior.

"Sure, you make money in this business," says the marijuana dealer who started out a year ago selling grams on street corners but is now buying kilos direct from suppliers. "But it is a very stressful job."

That job might be heading for a big transformation after leftwing legislators tabled measures to relax regulations on marijuana possession and sale in the capital, as well as proposals for federal reforms that could increase permitted quantities and encourage other states to follow suit.

The initiatives, proposed by the leftwing Party of the Democratic Revolution – which governs in the capital and represents the third force in the federal congress – are the latest example of a region-wide rethink of the prohibition approach to the war on drugs. In December, Uruguay's parliament approved a bill to legalise and regulate the sale and production of marijuana, while in the US Washington and Colorado states recently legalised the sale of cannabis under licence.