The global push for the legalization of cannabis has taken the world by storm. On June 28, Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized the consumption and personal cultivation of marijuana more than five years after ruling prohibitions against recreational cannabis unconstitutional. Under the decision of the court, all adults ages 18 and older will be able to apply for a permit that allows them to possess and cultivate small quantities of cannabis for personal use. Co-founder of the think tank Instituto RIA Zara Snapp said, “this is a step forward for the rights of cannabis users.” She continued on, stating, “there’s still work to be done in congress to be able to regulate the market in a socially just way.”

In an 8 to 3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that citizens were able to apply for a permit from the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks, the nation’s health department, to legally obtain marijuana. The permit enables citizens to possess up to 28 grams (one ounce) of cannabis for personal use. The court also ruled that adults could apply for a permit to cultivate and harvest small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. Those who acquire either permit to partake in the consumption of cannabis or to cultivate and harvest must abstain from indulging in the presence of children as well as when operating heavy machinery.

After this historic and long overdue decision sparked applause from U.S. cannabis advocates; Morgan Paxhia, co-founder and managing director of cannabis investment fund Poseidon, said the court’s decision was a “big win for the people of Mexico,” noting that the nation would be the largest federally legal adult-use market in the world, and the second-largest overall after California. Through this historic court ruling, Mexico has now catapulted to the forefront of the cannabis industry as a serious contender leaving the U.S. on an island of federal marijuana prohibition.