Regulatory Framework · 2.2 Access to Controlled Medicines

Partial compliance.

Mexico has a strong national normative foundation recognizing traditional medicine, traditional midwifery, and the herbal-medicine dimension, supported by constitutional provisions, the General Health Law, and the Health Supplies Regulation. This legal architecture confirms formal recognition and sanitary regulation of herbal products, but it does not by itself demonstrate homogeneous implementation or effective access to traditional-medicine services across the national territory.

Operational evidence shows real but limited implementation, mainly through IMSS-BIENESTAR and relevant state-level experiences. The evidence block documents institutional and territorial presence in Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Mexico City, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Yucatán, and Hidalgo, including traditional-medicine modules, traditional midwifery, community centers, state programs, and actions to preserve herbal knowledge.

However, the evidentiary pattern remains fragmented and sector-limited. Available evidence does not confirm homogeneous national coverage, sufficient financing, uniform clinical integration, quality assurance, systematic safety monitoring, effective utilization, or health outcomes. Subnational evidence strengthens the territorial analysis, but it does not allow inference of full national consolidation.

From a comparative perspective, international standards recognize traditional medicine as a relevant component of integrated health systems grounded in evidence, equity, sustainability, and respect for local knowledge. Mexico shows important progress in legal recognition and partial operation, but a structural gap remains between formal recognition, herbal regulation, and systematic national implementation.

In conclusion, Mexico demonstrates robust legal recognition and partial operational evidence for traditional and herbal medicine, but not a homogeneous, financed, evaluated, and fully integrated national system. Therefore, partial compliance is the appropriate classification.