If they government taxes it, Mexico will soon become one of the wealthiest nations in Americas and tourism will increase dramatically. That's a market response:)

1. I doubt the people who aren't doing meth or coke or heroin are simply waiting for it to be legal.

2. I've never been given much of a reason why pot is illegal anyway.

3. Are we entirely convinced that it is a sin to smoke marijuana? It's not a question we have to answer in the U.S. because it is illegal, and we are bound to submit to the laws of the land, but is it really a big deal if the wife and I took a joint on a camping trip and looked at the stars (sans kids of course.)? I'm not saying I would or wouldn't, but is it really that big of a moral crisis?

Cons: use will (probably) go up. Anthony is right, it will be taxed and become like tobacco in the US. Pros: it will put a significant dent in the cartels' business, thus lowering crime/corruption and perhaps lower risks of accidental overdoses with quality control.
Church response? Stigmatize it as we do porn, strip clubs and cigarettes (and alcohol in my circles).

...use *may* go up, but that's immeasurable. assuming costs (not just monetary) go down, use will likely go up (demand still slopes downward), so i'm sure there will be at least some people on the margin that would try meth, opium, etc., while they might not have before.

deaths will VERY LIKELY go down, as well as poisonings due to foolish/maliciously cut drugs, so for those two alone, it's a great thing.

worthy to remember: when you are charged with a criminal act based on volume (kilos of cocaine, etc.) it is to your advantage to make that volume as potent as possible. i.e....people weren't running beer during prohibition, because the costs weren't worth the benefits--you ran moonshine, whiskey, etc., with MUCH higher alcohol concentrations. sadly, that means that these 5 grams are going to be very concentrated, but that's still better than the current system.

as to the church's response: quit using the government to enforce your preferences. If you have a problem with an issue, write about it, preach on it, make it a moral issue...don't go running to daddygov to assuage your moral compunctions.

I agree with Anthony B. Mexico's government will become the wealthiest in Latin America, but the implications for a neighbour country like Guatemala could be disastrous, specially to our youths who will enjoy to travel to Mexico often.

So, suppose if I were a dealer in Mexico, do I have to register my business in order to have the right of carry or store more quantities of drugs with me? How many dealer's licenses would they authorized then? It's interesting just to dimension the consequences of this approval.