Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession

Professor_Quail notes an AP story that begins, "Mexico enacted a controversial law Thursday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free government treatment for drug dependency. The law sets out maximum 'personal use' amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer face criminal prosecution when the law goes into effect Friday." An official in the attorney general's office said, "This is not legalization, this is regulating the issue and giving citizens greater legal certainty... for a practice that was already in place." In 2006, the US criticized a similar bill that had no provisions for mandatory treatment, and the then-president sent it back to Congress for reconsideration.

Comments

Next slashdot article:

[Anonymous Coward]

How to build and support a R.A.I.D. (redundant array of independent (drug) dealers).

Now dealers will have backups and if one gets taken down, don't worry! There's another one that can be brought 'online' to do his workload. And it's all legal since they each only deal in small amounts!

Just remember: RAID != BACKUP!!

Unforeseen effects

[Anonymous Coward]

Small-scale drug possession means realistic-scale drug possession for Barbie and Ken.

Re:It's about goddamn time

[1stworld]

Indeed. Why can't we be more like Mexico in every way?

Re:we need to end drug prohibition

[calmofthestorm]

If I don't know they're doing drugs, then everything is just peachy. Or if I do know and it doesn't affect me.

Re:It's about goddamn time

[LaskoVortex]

Indeed. Why can't we be more like Mexico in every way?

No way! That would require bringing our prison population levels down from 4% to something negligible. This is the USA. We can't have those levels of freedom here! What do you think this is, some kind of democracy?

Re:Oh yeah, right

[Trepidity]

I was going to point out a spelling error in multiple posts in this thread, but instead I'm going to choose to consider it spelled correctly, and read the entire thread as if it were talking about a female hero.

Re:Gangs are the root. Legalization is the pestici

[iphinome]

Summer -> Autumn -> Winter -> Spring ?

profit!

Re:we need to end drug prohibition

[Anonymous Coward]

Utah?

Re:And California is releasing the "non violent"

[PReDiToR]

My point is that if you legalize cannabis, what prevents the situation from becoming as bad as it was in Sweden in the mid 19th century? Instead of alcoholics you'll have a large segment of the population being high on pot all the time.

The difference is that THC doesn't make you violent. It turns you into a carpenter.

South Park

[skyriser2]

"Hell, everything's legal in Mexico. It's the American way."
- Uncle Jimbo, South Park

http://www.quoteaddict.com/

Re:And California is releasing the "non violent"

[Anonymous Coward]

since Marc's operation got shut down I've personally spend almost six thousand US dollars on seeds imported directly from afghanistan. hope they use that money well and blow up something that matters.

Re:It's about goddamn time

[Anonymous Coward]

Seems like you need something to help you relax, at least.

Re:It's about goddamn time

[Wandering Wombat]

Socialist!!!!