Mexico decriminalises personal quantities of hard drugs

[Torsten]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060428/ts_nm/mexico_drugs_dc

Mexico set to decriminalize pot and cocaine

By Noel Randewich 54 minutes ago

Possessing marijuana, cocaine and even heroin will no longer be a crime in Mexico if the drugs are carried in small amounts for personal use, under legislation passed by the Mexican Congress.

The measure given final passage by senators late on Thursday allows police to focus on their battle against major drug dealers, the government says, and President Vicente Fox is expected to sign it into law.

"This law provides more judicial tools for authorities to fight crime," presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said on Friday. The measure was approved earlier by the lower house.

Under the legislation, police will not penalize people for possessing up to 5 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of opium, 25 milligrams of heroin or 500 milligrams of cocaine.

People caught with larger quantities of drugs will be treated as narcotics dealers and face increased jail terms under the plan.

The legal changes will also decriminalize the possession of limited quantities of other drugs, including LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, amphetamines and peyote -- a psychotropic cactus found in Mexico's northern deserts.

Hundreds of people, including several police officers, have been killed in the past year as drug cartels battle authorities and compete with each other for control of lucrative cocaine, marijuana and heroin smuggling routes from Mexico into the United States.

The violence has raged mostly in northern Mexico but in recent months has spread south to cities like vacation resort Acapulco.

Under current law, it is up to local judges and police to decide on a case-by-case basis whether people should be prosecuted for possessing small quantities of drugs, a source at the Senate's health commission told Reuters.

"The object of this law is to not put consumers in jail, but rather those who sell and poison," said Sen. Jorge Zermeno of the ruling National Action Party.

Fifty-three senators voted for the bill with 26 votes against it.

Hector Michel Camarena, an opposition senator from the Institutional Revolutionary Party, warned that although well intentioned, the law may go too far.

"There are serious questions we have to carefully analyze so that through our spirit of fighting drug dealing, we don't end up legalizing," he said. "We have to get rid of the concept of the (drug) consumer."

(Additional reporting by Anahi Rama)

[Auxin]

BWAHAHAHAHA Go Mexico

There are problems tho- foremost is the fact that it would be difficult for people to grow 5 gram crops of marijuana for personal use , thus the law will encourage illicit manufacture and distribution of marijuana.

If they wanted to free up resources for combating real crime they should just legalize marijuana, let farms manufacture it, tax it like tobacco, and treat it like alcohol in cases of driving and on-the-job sobriety.

Personally I would not have included meth, heroin, and cocaine- its understandable that if their prisons and courts are overcrouded they would want to reduce arrests for victimless crimes but it should have been like a fine.

[teonanacatl]

If they wanted to free up resources for combating real crime they should just legalize marijuana, let farms manufacture it, tax it like tobacco, and treat it like alcohol in cases of driving and on-the-job sobriety.

i was thinking the other day all this no smoking stuff in oz now whats the go. the government gets loads of tax from it im sure they would love to keep its sales high, but then i thought fuck they probably loose more money paying to treat the problems associated with it therefore they decided to cut it. cheeky buggers.

two rules that to me make no sense: you can brew your own alcohol but cant distill it to get off all the nasties. and . you can smoke just cant grow it your self so you know whats in it.

[apothecary]

BWAHAHAHAHA Go Mexico

There are problems tho- foremost is the fact that it would be difficult for people to grow 5 gram crops of marijuana for personal use , thus the law will encourage illicit manufacture and distribution of marijuana.

Baby steps :D

[botanika]

he said. "We have to get rid of the concept of the (drug) consumer."

good luck...

[Rev]

I challenge the 'smokers are a financial drag on society' crew to leave up their cause and focus on the ' fat cunts are a drag on society' cause...

i despise o/p smoke in my breathing space but really they do what they like

so long as people can be allowed, encoraged even, to eat shit food and drive fast cars .. then whatever...

really we should be encouraging baby boomers to TAKE UP SMOKING not give it up if we want a future free of crushing financial burdens

too many useless old people coming down the pipeline

as compared to the realtively USEFUL old people dieing off now

[devance]

After a expenxsive drug war.

Mexico apparently isn't going to use some money that can be better used for social programs..

Or is it.

How much money and how much the stupid gringo have dug themselves in a economic pit.

[folias]

I talked to a portugese girl today (where the same laws apply) and she says drugs have always been rife in Portugal and now it is no different! it's just people don't get arrested for possesing them and police focus their energy on other things...

Julian.

[ergoamide]

I talked to a portugese girl today (where the same laws apply) and she says drugs have always been rife in Portugal and now it is no different! it's just people don't get arrested for possesing them and police focus their energy on other things...

Julian.

Sounds more like the way it should be, harder laws just don't work. Indonesia is the perfect example, the death penalty hasn't dettered drug use. Maybe it did for a few but ultimately if ppl wanna use then they'll use, laws won't stop them.

[devance]

So how would things go if?

I think the Mex are trying to get some funding, so I don't think this

a grand social experment and also they are not going to get the money as the U.S. is running on empty..

[devance]

Looks like the Mex are going to get some funding afterall as

has now been reported the legislation to be sidelined.

Still criminal, diversion into drug treatment.

[i think drug education isn't a bad thing.

The zero tolerance policy and just say no idea is no policy at all.

Like saying have no sex untill one is mature enough.

But having the bustee pay for it simply leads to a industry that classes every minor bust as a opportunity.]

No surprise as such Mex legislation is like putting a light fire cracker up a lions ass.

Going to get a reaction.

[apothecary]

Looks like this has gone down the drain.

Vincente Fox, the man who once loudly denied claims from Venezuala that he was a U.S "puppy", has decided not to back this law reform after the US state department voiced their displeasure.

They say, this law will encourage drug tourism, young people from America wanting to experience this new high called "freedom" crossing the border to get their fix.

Yap yap, Senor Fox.

EDIT: Sorry dev, didn't see your post saying the same thing as mine

Edited May 8, 2006 by apothecary