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Mexico to Legalize Drugs
RugerNiner
Member Posts: 12,637 ✭✭✭
Mexico votes to legalize small amounts of cocaine, heroin and marijuana
Posted 4/28/2006 3:41 PM ET
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's Congress approved a bill Friday that would legalize drug possession for personal use - decriminalizing the carrying of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and even heroin.
The only step remaining is the signature of the president, whose office indicates he will sign the measure, despite the implications for the war on drugs.
The bill, approved by the Senate on a 53-26 vote with one abstention, had been approved earlier by the lower house of Congress.
U.S. officials had no immediate reaction on what this means for the fight against drug trafficking, or the vast numbers of American students who visit Mexico on vacation.
"The presidency congratulates the Congress for approving the reforms," said presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar. "This law gives police and prosecutors better legal tools to combat drug crimes that do so much damage to our youth and children."
The bill legalizes possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, ectasy and marijuana.
"No charges will be brought against ... addicts or consumers who are found in possession of any narcotic for personal use," the bill reads.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-04-28-mexicodrugs_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA
Posted 4/28/2006 3:41 PM ET
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's Congress approved a bill Friday that would legalize drug possession for personal use - decriminalizing the carrying of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and even heroin.
The only step remaining is the signature of the president, whose office indicates he will sign the measure, despite the implications for the war on drugs.
The bill, approved by the Senate on a 53-26 vote with one abstention, had been approved earlier by the lower house of Congress.
U.S. officials had no immediate reaction on what this means for the fight against drug trafficking, or the vast numbers of American students who visit Mexico on vacation.
"The presidency congratulates the Congress for approving the reforms," said presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar. "This law gives police and prosecutors better legal tools to combat drug crimes that do so much damage to our youth and children."
The bill legalizes possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, ectasy and marijuana.
"No charges will be brought against ... addicts or consumers who are found in possession of any narcotic for personal use," the bill reads.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-04-28-mexicodrugs_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA
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Comments
This is how the war on drugs should be fought. Focus on the drug importers and dealers instead of locking all the users up and hoping that people stop using (they won't). I'm sick of violent criminals and sex offenders gettting released from prison early because some dude who was carrying a joint for personal use was just sentenced to prison and they need the space for this "menace to society." Possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use should just be made a civil infraction, punishable by a fine. Free up the police resources for bigger and badder crimes.
+1
I'm sick of violent criminals and sex offenders gettting released from prison early because some dude who was carrying a joint for personal use was just sentenced to prison and they need the space for this "menace to society."
I'm not taking a position here, just trying to keep the discussion straight.
Can you actually cite a case less than 30 years old where someone went to prison for mere possession of a single joint?
quote:Originally posted by warriorsfan
I'm sick of violent criminals and sex offenders gettting released from prison early because some dude who was carrying a joint for personal use was just sentenced to prison and they need the space for this "menace to society."
I'm not taking a position here, just trying to keep the discussion straight.
Can you actually cite a case less than 30 years old where someone went to prison for mere possession of a single joint?
According to this there are thousands of individuals in prison for simple marijuana possession.
http://www.mpp.org/arrests/fas61699.html
quote:BJS officials also estimated that 42% of state "marijuana only" prisoners and 23% of federal "marijuana only" prisoners were incarcerated for possession, not "trafficking."[7] ("Trafficking" includes "possession with intent to distribute.") Applied to the previously calculated estimates, as adjusted for the June 1998 prisoner counts, there would be 7,400 state prisoners and 2,300 federal prisoners incarcerated for marijuana possession only, for a total of 9,700 prisoners.
. . .
Finally, an estimated 58% of drug law violators in jail are locked up for possession, not trafficking.[7] Assuming that the same percentage applies to "marijuana only" offenses, there would be 5,700 people in jail for possessing only marijuana.
In fairness, that data is from 1997, probably very few of those are for possession of a single joint, and even most of those are probably persons who pled down to possession from a bunch of other charges (ie they couldnt prove intent to distribute), or had a prior criminal history.
But are there people who are or have been locked up for simple possession of small amounts of marijuana? Hell yes. Admittedly, it doesn't happen all that often, but read past the weaseling, and even the hardcore anti-drug unit of the Federal gov't concedes that there are a small number of first time offenders in prison for simple possession of marijuana
quote:The reality is that people are not routinely sent to prison for simply possessing small amounts of marijuana. Most people in prison for marijuana are violent criminals, repeat offenders, traffickers, or all of the above. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the number of people in state prison solely for marijuana offenses is quite low, and only a fraction of that number are first-time offenders.
* According to the most recent data, just 1.6 percent of the state inmate population were held for offenses involving marijuana only
* Less than 1 percent (0.7 percent) of state prisoners were incarcerated with marijuana possession as the only charge
* Only 0.3 percent of state prisoners convicted for possessing marijuana and no other crimes were first-time offenders.
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press05/051805.html
With alcohol by FAR the most dangerous drug of abuse, having a joint shouldn't get you more than a ticket, unless you are smoking it while driving, (etc).
Stiff penalties or mandatory rehab for small-time possession is a waste of resources, and accomplishes nothing. To the contrary, this illegality provides for all kinds of abuses.
This is how the war on drugs should be fought. Focus on the drug importers and dealers instead of locking all the users up and hoping that people stop using (they won't). I'm sick of violent criminals and sex offenders gettting released from prison early because some dude who was carrying a joint for personal use was just sentenced to prison and they need the space for this "menace to society." Possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use should just be made a civil infraction, punishable by a fine. Free up the police resources for bigger and badder crimes.
Careful, your starting to sound like........a Libertarian. [:D]
According to this there are thousands of individuals in prison for simple marijuana possession.
You quote data that states 5,700 people are incarcerated for simple possession of marijuana. It makes it sound as if this many people are sitting in a cell somewhere playing a harmonica and scratching days off on the wall. This figure is the total number of arrests throughout the country in a years time, but understand that most every one of these probably aren't even there overnight for this minor of an offense. If they were simply brought in and made to post bond they're counted as "incarcerated".
Also, people arrested for simple possesion of a small amount of weed are dealt with at the local level, not a penitentiary. If you figure how many of local jail facilities there are in the US, 5,700 people walking in the front door and out the back has no real effect on whether there's room for violent offenders in our prisons.
Again, I'm not taking a position here. I'm just pointing out that the "dude caught with a single joint taking up room in our prisons" argument is a fallacy.
Drugs exist and always have. All the interdiction methods in the world will not make them go away. I don't mean to come across as a bleeding heart social worker type, but what we can effect is people's desire to partake in them. I realize it sounds old school, but a major factor is that people aren't taking the responsibility of raising their children these days.
It works just fine in the Netherlands (Holland)
I don't believe it's actually legal there either.