Sanity breaks out in Mexico.
Mexico decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin on Friday — a move that prosecutors say makes sense even in the midst of the government's grueling battle against drug traffickers.
Prosecutors said the new law sets clear limits that keep Mexico's corruption-prone police from shaking down casual users and offers addicts free treatment to keep growing domestic drug use in check.
"This is not legalization, this is regulating the issue and giving citizens greater legal certainty," said Bernardo Espino del Castillo of the attorney general's office.
Legal "personal use" amounts were also set for methamphetamine and LSD.
Mexico, of course, has been fighting a real war against drugs, one where people die daily. Not from the drugs but from guns. Since January 2007, over 9900 people have died in a war that now involves 45,000 troops and 5000 Mexican police. Iraq and Afghanistan pale beside this war being carried out on our border. Of course it doesn't really stop at the border. Seventeen people were recently arrested in the San Diego suburbs for a string of kidnappings and murder.
The Mexican government has not adopted libertarian philosophy that personal liberty should include the ability to ingest drugs should you so desire. No, this is a clearly pragmatic move to free up resources to fight real criminals. Drug users will be encouraged to seek treatment should they be caught with small amounts of drugs; treatment is mandatory after the third time. Of course that would never work here where drug treatment relies on insurance company largess.
Dope dealers are still subject to prosecution in Mexico. So expect the war to go on.
Still decriminalization of posseession is a small step a reasonable direction. If adopted here, the decriminalization of drugs would free up a lot of police resources, help relieve the jam in the court system and end the destruction of lives that occur when people wind up tangled in the legal system.
Another step toward sanity is a recent study which claims that the best way to treat treat heroin addiction is with heroin. Among the positive benefits--addicts cut down dramatically on the extralegal activity required to feed their addiction. Plus it keeps addicts in contact with health authorities, increasing the possibility that they will be able to fight the addiction in time.
So maybe the puritanical mindset that has poisoned any rational discussion of the drug problem in North America is slowly being undermined. After all, prohibition went away eventually, after all attempts to enforce it had failed.