Mexico - Mexico Senate OKs bill to legalize drug possesion

[chillinwill]

MEXICO CITY - 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.

Mexico's Congress passed a similar proposal in 2006 but the bill was vetoed by Calderon's predecessor Vicente Fox, under pressure from the United States, which said it would increase drug abuse, but now is worried by the drug-related violence along its border.

Calderon has staked his presidency on curtailing the escalating violence between rival drug gangs as they fight over smuggling routes to the United States, with violence spilling into U.S. cities like Phoenix and Tucson.

Calderon was praised by U.S. President Barack Obama this month for his army crackdown in a visit to the Mexican capital and Washington is sending more agents to its side of the border to curb the flow of guns and cash to the cartels.

Drug violence has killed 2,000 people this year across Mexico after 6,300 deaths in 2008.

The bill, which needs to be approved by the lower house, also allows Mexican states to convict small-time drug dealers, no longer making it a federal crime to peddle drugs. Drug dealers are rarely convicted in Mexico as federal courts are saturated with bigger cases and local judges cannot interfere.

Mexico's Congress convenes for a final session before its recess on Thursday but may call an extraordinary session given the outbreak of deadly swine flu in the country that has forced lawmakers to hold sessions behind closed doors to prevent further contagion.

by Miguel Angel Gutierrez
Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:04pm EDT
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/lates.../idUSN28349522

[beentheredonethatagain]

going to mexico soon? I hope not , unless you like swine flu .

that kinda puts a damper on things.

but once that is cleared up, I would imagine going to mexico for some snacks and treats to enjoy there will be a popular thing to do , for those who live close to Mexico.

I would have only a hour drive to get to Mexicali.

Not that I need to go there to find snacks or treats, I can just call the guy down the road and he'll gladly deliver in a matter of minutes.

this will be something to keep track of , it could spell change for the rest of the world.

[trptamene]

Mexico Senate approves drug decriminalization

Mexico's Senate approved a bill 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 five grams of marijuana, 500 milligrams of cocaine and tiny quantities of other drugs such as heroin and methamphetamines.

Mexico's Congress passed a similar proposal in 2006 but the bill was vetoed by Calderon's predecessor Vicente Fox, under pressure from the United States, which said it would increase drug abuse, but now is worried by the drug-related violence along its border...

The bill, which needs to be approved by the lower house, also allows Mexican states to convict small-time drug dealers, no longer making it a federal crime to peddle drugs. Drug dealers are rarely convicted in Mexico as federal courts are saturated with bigger cases and local judges cannot interfere.


Hopefully it'll be enacted fully.

[dyingtomorrow]

OMFG SWIM needs to move there - excellent move Mexico!

[trptamene]

Hmmm...ya

the senate approved a measure...it's still up in the air whether this will become law, but that'd be fucking sweet.

[lulz]

Only two replies? This is huge news, because it'll probably become law.

The last time this happened, Bush put political pressure on the last president of Mexico to veto the bill, which he did. It seems a lot less likely that Obama will do the same. Also, this time the president of Mexico has supported this bill since the beginning.

Factor in the huge drug cartel warfare that's been going on at the Mexican border (the army has been called into one especially violent border city), and the fact that Mexico City has already adopted a policy of decriminalization, and this bill looks sure to pass.