Mexico’s government on Thursday granted its first-ever license for cannabis cultivation in the country. The Mexican Health Regulatory Agency awarded the license to Xebra Brands which allows it to import and acquire cannabis seeds, cultivate and harvest cannabis, process and produce cannabis, and sell cannabis products both domestically and through export.
The licensing comes two years after the Mexico Supreme Court ruled cannabis prohibition was unconstitutional which led to the passage of cannabis reforms by federal lawmakers.
In a press release, Jay Garnett, CEO of Xebra Brands, said the license “represents an important moment for cannabis globally with the first ever grant for full cultivation, harvesting, processing and commercial activities to a corporate entity in Mexico.”
In 2021, Mexico’s Supreme Court voted unanimously to grant Xebra Mexico an irrevocable injunction to commercialize cannabis products – the final step required the regulators to deliver formal authorizations. The authorizations received by Xebra include standard conditions concerning safety protocols, security measures, phyto-sanitation processes, pest management procedures, and customary inspection and reporting provisions, the company said. The authorizations are subject to Xebra satisfying the industry standard conditions and initially allow the commercialization of products that contain less than 1% THC. (Full Story)