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Home > Archive > Chronic pain Support > April 2006 > You wont believe it!
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You wont believe it!
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| OldGoat 2006-04-29, 1:09 am |
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Mexico to decriminalize pot, cocaine and heroin
By Noel Randewich1 hour, 23 minutes ago
Possessing 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 Congress.
The measure given final passage by senators in a late night session on
Thursday allows police to focus on their battle against major drug dealers,
the government says, and President Vicente 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. The measure was
approved earlier by the lower house.
Under the legislation, 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.
People caught with larger quantities of drugs will be treated as narcotics
dealers and face increased jail terms under the plan.
The legal changes will also decriminalize the possession of limited
quantities of other drugs, including LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms,
amphetamines and peyote -- a psychotropic cactus found in Mexico's northern
deserts.
The legislation came as a surprise to Washington, which counts on Mexico's
support in its war against drug smuggling gangs who move massive quantities
of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines through Mexico to U.S.
consumers.
A delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives visited Mexico last week
and met with senior officials to discuss drug control issues, but was told
nothing of the planned legislative changes, said Michelle Gress, a House
subcommittee counsel who was part of the visiting team.
"We were not informed," she told Reuters.
HARDENED CRIMINALS
Hundreds of people, including many police officers, have been killed in
Mexico in the past year as drug cartels battle for control of lucrative
smuggling routes 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.
Hector Michel Camarena, an opposition senator from the Institutional
Revolutionary Party, warned that although well intentioned, the law may go
too far.
"There are serious questions we have to carefully analyze so that through
our spirit of fighting drug dealing, we don't end up legalizing," he said.
"We have to get rid of the concept of the (drug) consumer."
(Additional reporting by Anahi Rama)
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| Nicholas Anthony 2006-04-29, 1:09 am |
| OMG now watch no more immigration problems for the US but Mexico is going to
see a bunch of US citizens moving there now lol.
"OldGoat" <oldgoatmail@ERdocsuckyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:uiy4g.1671$O_6.1462@trnddc08...
>
>
>
>
> Mexico to decriminalize pot, cocaine and heroin
> By Noel Randewich1 hour, 23 minutes ago
>
> Possessing 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 Congress.
>
> The measure given final passage by senators in a late night session on
> Thursday allows police to focus on their battle against major drug
> dealers, the government says, and President Vicente 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. The measure was
> approved earlier by the lower house.
>
> Under the legislation, 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.
>
> People caught with larger quantities of drugs will be treated as narcotics
> dealers and face increased jail terms under the plan.
>
> The legal changes will also decriminalize the possession of limited
> quantities of other drugs, including LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms,
> amphetamines and peyote -- a psychotropic cactus found in Mexico's
> northern deserts.
>
> The legislation came as a surprise to Washington, which counts on Mexico's
> support in its war against drug smuggling gangs who move massive
> quantities of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines through
> Mexico to U.S. consumers.
>
> A delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives visited Mexico last
> week and met with senior officials to discuss drug control issues, but was
> told nothing of the planned legislative changes, said Michelle Gress, a
> House subcommittee counsel who was part of the visiting team.
>
> "We were not informed," she told Reuters.
>
> HARDENED CRIMINALS
>
> Hundreds of people, including many police officers, have been killed in
> Mexico in the past year as drug cartels battle for control of lucrative
> smuggling routes 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.
>
> Hector Michel Camarena, an opposition senator from the Institutional
> Revolutionary Party, warned that although well intentioned, the law may go
> too far.
>
> "There are serious questions we have to carefully analyze so that through
> our spirit of fighting drug dealing, we don't end up legalizing," he said.
> "We have to get rid of the concept of the (drug) consumer."
>
> (Additional reporting by Anahi Rama)
>
>
>
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| Nicholas Anthony <nospamforme@soptonline.net> wrote in message:
6dC4g.42$fM.22@fe08.lga,
> OMG now watch no more immigration problems for the US but Mexico is
> going to see a bunch of US citizens moving there now lol.
>
That was my first thought too. LOL
It would be nice to see a wave of immigrants going the other direction
for a change.
Juba
www.masterjuba.com
Read the alt.support.chronic-pain Kook Faq
http://kook.us
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