Dalai Lama Supports Medical Marijuana Use | HuffPost

The Dalai Lama Has Been Talking About Marijuana (While Wearing A Giant Mexican Hat)

Sara C Nelson— Huffington Post UK

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The Dalai Lama has revealed he supports the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

He made his comments during a somewhat timely visit to Mexico, as legislators in Mexico City plan draft legislation that would decriminalise use of the drug.

Speaking at an event hosted by former president Vicente Fox, the Tibetan leader said "the exception" for smoking marijuana would be if it has medicinal values, AFP reported.

Wearing a churro, the Dalai Lama revealed he supports the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes

"But otherwise if it's just an issue of somebody (using the drug to have) a crazy mind, that's not good," he added, when asked about his position on legalisation during the event on Tuesday in the central state of Guanajuato.

While Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has taken a stand against the easing of Mexico's drug policies, lawmakers in Mexico are pushing to make it legal to carry up to 30 grams of marijuana.

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The movement to decriminalise marijuana in the Mexican capital has intensified in recent months, following a large pro-marijuana march in May and a three-day forum on drug policy held in September.

In addition to decriminalization, some lawmakers are proposing that Mexico City establish "cannabis clubs," where users can grow and smoke marijuana together.

Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users

50: Snoop Lion(01 of50)

“It makes me feel the way I need to feel.” (credit:Koen van Weel/AFP/Getty Images)

49: Rick Steves(02 of50)

"I have used cannabis all over the world." (credit:AP)

48: Oliver Stone(03 of50)

“I went to Vietnam, and I was there for a long time. [Using marijuana] made the difference between staying human or, as Michael Douglas said, becoming a beast.” (credit:YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

47: Rihanna(04 of50)

"Kush rolled, glass full... I prefer the better things!" (credit:VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

46: Hugh Hefner(05 of50)

“Smoking helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses.” (credit:Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

45: Miley Cyrus(06 of50)

"You know you're a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake." (credit:AP Photo/MTV, John Shearer)

44: Bryan Cranston(07 of50)

"Pot always just made me sleepy.” (credit:Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

43: Robert Downey Jr(08 of50)

“Robert Downey Jr. said he started smoking weed at age 8.” (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, file)

42: Madonna(09 of50)

"It [my behavior on the show in 1994] wasn't because I was excited about you [David Letterman]. I think it may have had something to do with the joint I smoked before I came on." (credit:AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

41: Johnny Depp(10 of50)

"I'm not a great pothead or anything like that… but weed is much, much less dangerous than alcohol." (credit:AP)

40: Phil Jackson(11 of50)

In 1975 he wrote “Maverick,” a memoir about his days playing in the NBA. Among other things, Jackson spoke frankly about marijuana use. -- Salon (credit:Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

39: Sarah Palin(12 of50)

"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.” (credit:AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

38: Justin Bieber(13 of50)

"Bieber both confirmed that he'd been caught smoking weed and apologized for it." -- Huffington Post (credit:AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

37: Maya Angelou(14 of50)

“Angelou settled into a job as a waitress and began smoking marijuana with abandon.” (credit:AP Photo/Nell Redmond, file)

36: Lincoln Chafee(15 of50)

"In 1999, then-Warwick Mayor Lincoln D. Chafee won accolades for his honesty in acknowledging he used marijuana and cocaine as a 1970s student at Brown University." (credit:AP Photo/Michelle R. Smith)

35: Matt Damon(16 of50)

“The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father.” (credit:AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File))

34: Conan O'Brien(17 of50)

“I’ve tried pot, but it doesn’t do much for me.” (credit:Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

33: Susan Sarandon(18 of50)

"Cocaine didn't interest me. Not at all. I'm way way back in the early pot…" (credit:Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

32: Andrew Sullivan(19 of50)

"The blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan was busted in July for possessing a small amount of marijuana within the Cape Cod National Seashore." (credit:Peter Kramer/Getty Images for TFF))

31: John Hickenlooper(20 of50)

"As I've already been open about in the past -- and as I assume many would expect -- I made personal choices when I was younger that I neither support nor condone for others and certainly wouldn't encourage through public policy." (credit:David Cannon/Getty Images)

30: Seth MacFarlane(21 of50)

"I don't smoke much pot anymore." (credit:AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

29: Martha Stewart(22 of50)

"Of course I know how to roll a joint." (credit:Getty Images)

28: Angelina Jolie(23 of50)

“… the one that has the worst effect for me was pot. I felt silly and giggly - I hate feeling like that.” (credit:TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

27: Morgan Freeman(24 of50)

"Never give up the ganja." (credit:Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI)

26: David Letterman(25 of50)

“I went through one period when I smoked a surprising, a really breath-taking, amount of grass almost every night.” (credit:AP Photo/CBS, John Paul Filo)

25: Jennifer Aniston(26 of50)

“I enjoy it once in a while. There is nothing wrong with that. Everything in moderation. I wouldn't call myself a pot-head.” (credit: Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)

24: Michael Phelps(27 of50)

“[Phelps] firmly denies that he takes drugs, suggesting that the notorious photo of him smoking from a bong was a one-time lapse of judgment.” (credit:Al Bello/Getty Images)

23: Tom Brokaw(28 of50)

“…what I did was experiment with a little marijuana like a lot of other people and walked away…” (credit:Kris Connor/Getty Images)

22: Ted Turner(29 of50)

"CNN anchor Gwen Scott claimed it is common knowledge that Turner sits in his office and smokes marijuana." (credit:Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

21: Brad Pitt(30 of50)

“I was hiding out from the celebrity thing, I was smoking way too much [marijuana].” (credit:Todd Williamson/Invision for Fox Searchlight/AP Images)

20: Lady Gaga(31 of50)

"I smoke a lot of pot when I write music." (credit:D Dipasupil/Getty Images for The Daily Front Row)

19: Michael Bloomberg(32 of50)

"You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.'' (credit:Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

18: George Clooney(33 of50)

“The owner of a local cannabis café told reporters George Clooney was no stranger there.” (credit:AP Photo/David Azia)

17: Rush Limbaugh(34 of50)

"I wouldn’t have been able to make it through hundreds of shows if it weren’t for the benefits of medical marijuana" (credit:AP Photo/Chris Carlson, file)

16: LeBron James(35 of50)

“James also revealed he and his teammates smoked marijuana one night after getting access to a hotel room in Akron.” (credit:AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

15: Sanjay Gupta(36 of50)

"I have tried it." (credit:Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

14: Rand Paul(37 of50)

"According to this woman, who requested anonymity because of her current job as a clinical psychologist, "He and Randy came to my house, they knocked on my door, and then they blindfolded me, tied me up, and put me in their car. They took me to their apartment and tried to force me to take bong hits. They'd been smoking pot." (credit:AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

13: Andrew Cuomo(38 of50)

"I did experiment with marijuana when I was a youth." (credit:Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

12: George W. Bush(39 of50)

"I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried." (credit:AP Photo/LM Otero)

11: Bill Gates(40 of50)

“As for drugs – well, Gates was certainly not unusual there. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice…” (credit:AP Photo / Jonathan Brady)

10: Bill Maher(41 of50)

"Look, I have never made a secret of the fact that I have tried marijuana... About 50,000 times." (credit:AP Photo/HBO, Janet Van Ham)

9: George Soros(42 of50)

"He said he had tried marijuana, enjoyed it, 'but it did not become a habit and I have not tasted it in many years.'" (credit:ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)

8: John Kerry(43 of50)

"Yes." [In response to the question: "Which of you are ready to admit to having used marijuana in the past?"] (credit:AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

7: Jay Z(44 of50)

"I smoked some weed, and that’s how I finished ‘Izzo.’" (credit:Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

6: Jon Stewart(45 of50)

“Do you know how many movies I wrote when I was high?” (credit:Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

5: Stephen Colbert(46 of50)

"First, [in high school], I smoked a lot of pot...and that’s how I got to know the people ‘half in’ the society of my high school and we waved at each other over the bong. Then I got to know people by making jokes.” (credit:AP Photo/Comedy Central, Scott Gries)

4: Clarence Thomas(47 of50)

"The White House said today that Judge Clarence Thomas, President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, had smoked marijuana while in college." (credit:AP Photo/Tribune Review, Sidney Davis)

3: Bill Clinton(48 of50)

"I experimented with marijuana a time or two." (credit:STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

2: Oprah Winfrey(49 of50)

"To kick things off, [television show host Andy Cohen] asked the last time Winfrey had smoked marijuana. 'Uh … 1982,' Winfrey replied. 'Let's hang out after the show,' Cohen joked. 'Okay,' Winfrey laughed. 'I hear it's gotten better.'" (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

1: Barack Obama(50 of50)

"When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point." (credit:Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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