In Mexico, the Supreme Court has issued a strong condemnation of the U.S.-backed war on drugs and paved the way for the possible legalization of marijuana. On Wednesday, the court ruled four people who had applied for a license to grow and use marijuana have the right to do so. The case lays the groundwork for future legal action in Mexico that could lead to legalization nationwide. Uruguay legalized marijuana in 2013, and medical marijuana legalization bills are being debated in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto spoke after the ruling.

President Enrique Peña Nieto: “The government respects the definitions of the Supreme Court of the nation, and particularly on this issue. I am also clear that this position opens a wide debate for eventually discussing a regulation on the issue of the consumption of marijuana. This means for us that the deliberation now will be about the commercialization for consumption and the legalization of marijuana consumption.”

This comes as presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation that would end the federal prohibition on marijuana, allowing states the power to legalize and regulate marijuana in the same way state and local laws now govern the sale of alcohol and tobacco, without fear of federal impediment.