After a three-year absence from the streets, groups and citizens of Yucatán resumed social protest, marching from the end of Paseo de Montejo to the seat of the Executive Branch. The central objective of the mobilization was to deliver a petition to Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena, requesting his intervention with President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to halt the criminalization of what they call “the Welfare Plant” and to guarantee a human rights approach in federal policies.
Under the banner of peace and social justice, the demonstrators pointed out that the current punitive model has not resolved the underlying problems, but rather has fostered an environment of stigmatization, arbitrary arrests, and police abuses against cannabis users. The groups emphasized that it is time to transition from a public security model to one focused on public health and individual freedoms.
With banners, signs, and slogans such as “Land to plant it, freedom to smoke it!” “We will smoke! Legal marijuana raises morale!” A little over 150 people marched to hold a brief rally at the gates of the Government Palace.
Carlos Centeno, a member of the Mexican Cannabis Movement, Yucatán chapter, stated that these types of actions are important after three years of these demands being ignored.
“We want cannabis regulation throughout Mexico, decriminalization, and the recovery of spaces that had been gained before the pandemic in the state,” he said.
He explained that it is vital for the protesters to have a private space where the authorities recognize and allow the recreational use of marijuana.
Once the protesters arrived at the Government Palace, they returned to the Remate de Paseo de Montejo to conclude the demonstration.
Source: 24horasyucatan
