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The Dalai Lama isn't that keen on recreational marijuana use, but the spiritual leader told supporters in Mexico on Tuesday that he supports legal, medicinal marijuana when the drug has been shown to have value. The comments, in the middle of a debate on the drug in the country as Mexico City considers legislation to legalize pot, came at an event hosted by former president Vicente Fox. Fox supports the legalization of pot for a different reason: because it could cut off a valuable stream of revenue for the country's drug cartels.

Here are the comments, via the AFP, which came in response to a question from the audience:

The Tibetan spiritual leader, speaking at an event hosted by former Mexican president Vicente Fox, said that "the exception" for smoking marijuana would be if it has pharmaceutical virtues. "But otherwise if it's just an issue of somebody (using the drug to have) a crazy mind, that's not good."

The Tibetan Buddhist leader, interestingly, didn't get an official welcome from the Mexican government during his five-day visit to the country. That's because the government of current president Enrique Pena Nieto would like to keep building friendlier relations with China. China considers the Dalai Lama to be a dangerous separatist — he's lived in exile for decades. And the country has been known to punish countries, including Mexico, who give the leader an official greeting.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.