Mexico marijuana smokers demand its legalisation

Mexico City: With the nation in the throws of a violent drug war, over 200 people gathered in a central Mexico City park to smoke marijuana and demand it be legalised, a reporter witnessed.

The protesters withstood drizzling rain on Sunday to hang out on the popular tourist drag of the Alameda to smoke the herb, which remains illegal in Mexico, although the country is among a handful of Latin American nations that allow for the possession of a small "personal dose" of the drug.

Many participants smoked out of pipes decorated with skulls, which were said to allude to traditional pre-Hispanic cultures, as music was played and a petition was circulated to call for legalisation.