Mexico legalizes weed, MDMA, cocaine, heroin and amphetamine

[Ice Spiral]

www.foxnews.com

Damn, I'd love to be able to buy coke, X and weed at the BP here in the States.

The war on drugs SUCKS. Fuck the anti drug nazis.

[Ice Spiral]

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Congress approved a bill Friday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin for personal use — a measure sure to raise questions in Washington about Mexico's commitment to the war on drugs.

The only remaining step was the signature of President Vicente Fox, whose office indicated he would sign it.

Supporters said the law would let police focus on drug smuggling, rather than on busting casual users. The bill also would stiffen many drug-related penalties: for trafficking, for possession near schools, and for possession of even small quantities by government employees.

Criminal penalties for drug sales would remain on the books.

"We can't close our eyes to this reality," said Sen. Jorge Zermeno, of Fox's conservative National Action Party. "We cannot continue to fill our jails with people who have addictions."

The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush scrambled to come up with a response.

"We're still studying the legislation, but any effort to decriminalize illegal drugs would not be helpful," a U.S. diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

(Story continues below)

ADVERTISEMENTS
Advertise Here

The bill, passed by Mexico's Senate on a 53-26 vote with one abstention, had already been quietly approved in the lower house of Congress and was sent Friday to the president's desk. Presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar indicated Fox would sign it.

"This law gives police and prosecutors better legal tools to combat drug crimes that do so much damage to our youth and children," he said.

If signed into law, the bill could have an impact on Mexico's relationship with the United States — and on the vast numbers of vacationing students who visit Mexico, often to take advantage of its rarely enforced drinking age of 18.

The bill says criminal charges will no longer be brought for possession of up to 25 milligrams of heroin, five grams of marijuana — about one-fifth of an ounce, or about four joints — and half a gram of cocaine — about half the standard street-size quantity, which is enough for several lines of the drug.

"No charges will be brought against ... addicts or consumers who are found in possession of any narcotic for personal use," the Senate bill reads. It also lays out allowable quantities for a large array of other drugs, including LSD, MDA, ecstasy — about two pills' worth — and amphetamines.

Some of the amounts are eye-popping: Mexicans would be allowed to possess a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of peyote, the button-sized hallucinogenic cactus used in some native Indian religious ceremonies.

Mexican law now leaves open the possibility of dropping charges against people caught with drugs if they are considered addicts and if "the amount is the quantity necessary for personal use." But the exemption isn't automatic.

The new bill drops the "addict" requirement — automatically allowing any "consumers" to have drugs — and sets out specific allowable quantities.

Sale of all drugs would remain illegal under the proposed law, unlike the Netherlands, where the sale of marijuana for medical use is legal and it can be bought with a prescription in pharmacies.

While Dutch authorities look the other way regarding the open sale of cannabis in designated coffee shops — something Mexican police seem unlikely to do — the Dutch have zero tolerance for heroin and cocaine. In both countries, commercial growing of marijuana is outlawed.

In Colombia, a 1994 court ruling decriminalized personal possession of small amounts of cocaine, heroin and other drugs. But President Alvaro Uribe, who is almost assured of re-election next month, wants to change that with a constitutional amendment.

"Allowing the personal dosage of drugs is inconsistent with a country committed to fighting the war on drugs," Uribe said at a campaign stop.

The effects could be significant, given that Mexico is rapidly becoming a drug-consuming nation as well as a shipment point for traffickers, and given the number of U.S. students who flock to border cities or resorts like Cancun and Acapulco on vacation.

"This is going to increase addictions in Mexico," said Ulisis Bon, a drug treatment expert in Tijuana, where heroin use is rampant. "A lot of Americans already come here to buy medications they can't get up there ... Just imagine, with heroin."

U.S. legalization advocates greeted the bill with glee.

Ethan Nadelmann, director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, called it "a very good move," saying it removed "a huge opportunity for low-level police corruption." In Mexico, police often release people detained for minor drug possession in exchange for bribes.

[CaptainCaveMan]

Maybe one day our country will be that smart. The war on drugs is a fucking joke and this is a free country.

[Ice Spiral]

i will say this... coke comedown and meth comedown is a BITCH.

speed is fun, but the crash is a mother fucker.

its great for the muscles and helps you loose weight too

[D!ck]

i will say this... coke comedown and meth comedown is a BITCH.

speed is fun, but the crash is a mother fucker.

its great for the muscles and helps you loose weight too

[shadegray]

Lol. Great for the muscles and helps you lose weight too!

[Big$]

lol ur not baked.....ur roasted! what about the horrible oxy poisson?

[OSU Buckeyes]

I guess if u can't fight drugs then just legalize them.. maybe this will keep the greasy fuckers out of our country
.

[Kevin91Z]

What you do in your home is your business, but getting high and then getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, then it becomes my business. Or, just like the idiots who leave their cigarette butts on the ground, when you leave behind chemicals and/or needles for children to find on the ground, then its not just your problem anymore.

Why is your life so miserable that you must escape it with drugs, anyway?

[Aerialist]

*I used to have a drug problem .. now I make enough money*

- David Lee Roth

[CaptainCaveMan]

Why is your life so miserable that you must escape it with drugs, anyway?

I never did drugs to escape anything. I thought they were fun.

[whoa guy]

who cares.. your a freekin retard.