Mexico eliminates penalties for personal use

[Pepper]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-04-28T164933Z_01_N281836_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEXICO-DRUGS.xml

Mexico decriminalized pot, cocaine, opium and heroin!

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Owning 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 Congress.

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, under a bill passed by senators late on Thursday and earlier approved by the lower house.

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

The government says the measure allows police to focus on major drug dealers, and President 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.

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.

[Pepper]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193641,00.html

Friday, April 28, 2006

MEXICO CITY — Here is the list of maximum allowable drug quantities approved for personal use by Mexico's Congress on Friday. President Vicente's office has indicated he'll sign the bill, which decriminalizes personal drug use but stiffens penalties for trafficking and possession of drugs by government employees or near schools, and maintains criminal penalties for drug sales.

— opium (raw, to be smoked) 5 grams

— heroin, 25 mg

— marijuana 5 grams

— cocaine 500 mg

— LSD .015 mg

— MDA 200 mg

— MDMA (Ecstasy) 200 mg

— mescaline: 1 g

— peyote: 1 KG

— psilocybin (concentrate, pure, active ingredient) 100 mg

— hallucinogenic mushrooms (raw, off the farm): 250 mg

— amphetamines: 100 mg

— dexamphetamines: 40 mg

— Phencyclidine (PCP, or Angel Dust) 7 mg

— methamphetamines: 200 mg

— Nalbuphine (synthetic opiate): 10 mg

[Stokes]

WOW!
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[AC70]

although if your going to have a list that large , why leave anything out at all??
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Turn off your minds , relax and float downstream. This is not dying.

[Pepper]

I think this is more about saving money by not arresting people that can't afford to pay fines.

[AC70]

agreed, but isnt that more reason to include a larger list of illegal highs..for personal use
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Turn off your minds , relax and float downstream. This is not dying.

[Pepper]

Police have no way to test which drug you may have. A couple of pills of anything can be ignored. This will make it easier to wage a war on suppliers. People with larger amounts can plea bargain down to personal use if they reveal their source.

At least I think that's the logic of the move. I could be wrong again.

[AC70]

its certainly a better move than a zero tollerence system...there´s a few countries around the world that are dealing with with drug situation in a more intelligent way......hope that way of thinking gets around to mine sometime before im being fed benzodiazipam in an old peoples home
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Turn off your minds , relax and float downstream. This is not dying.