With all the (justifiable) worry about swine flu, another story coming out of Mexico seems to have escaped notice:
Mexico's Senate approved a bill on Tuesday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of narcotics for personal use, in order to free resources to fight violent drug cartels.
The bill, proposed by conservative President Felipe Calderon, would make it legal to carry up to 5 grams (0.18 ounces) of marijuana, 500 milligrams (0.018 ounces) of cocaine and tiny quantities of other drugs such as heroin and methamphetamines. (Reuters)
The bill awaits approval by the Mexican Chamber of Deputies. A similar law in 2006 was passed by the Mexican Congress, but vetoed by the previous President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, under pressure from the Bush Administration.
Reuters is the only English language source I have been able to locate for this story, but the story has also been picked up (in greater detail) by a number of Spanish language newspapers and agencies:
Here are a few details gleaned from these articles:
Known as La Ley de Narcomenudeo, the law passed the Senate with 87 votes in favor and 10 abstentions. At the same time that it decriminalizes the possession of certain drugs for personal use, it increases the penalties for selling or trafficking in drugs.
The law also specifies that addicts who are detained for carrying drugs be offered voluntary treatment. Treatment is mandatory, however, for those who are detained three times in these circumstances.
The law also authorizes local authorities to investigate small scale drug trafficking. Previously, only federal authorities were authorized to investigate drug trafficking as it is categorized as a federal offense.