Mexico legalises drugs for personal use

[Loc-Dog]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193616,00.html

Mexico's Congress Legalizes Drugs for Personal Use

Friday, April 28, 2006

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Congress approved a bill Friday that would legalize drug possession for personal use — decriminalizing the carrying of small quantities of marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and even heroin. The only step remaining is the signature of the president, whose office indicates he will sign it, despite the implications for the war on drugs.

The bill, passed by Mexico's Senate on a 53-26 vote with one abstention, has already been approved in the lower house of Congress. U.S. officials had no immediate reaction on what this means for Mexico's fight against drug trafficking — or the vast numbers of vacationing students who visit Mexico.

"The presidency congratulates the Congress for approving the reforms," 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."

CountryWatch: Mexico

The bill legalizes possession of 25 milligrams of heroin, 5 grams of marijuana (about one-fifth of an ounce, or about five joints), or 0.5 grams of cocaine — about half the standard sale quantity, though half-size packages are becoming more common. It also lays out the legal limits for possession of a wide array of other drugs.

"No charges will be brought against ... addicts or consumers who are found in possession of any narcotic for personal use," the bill reads.

Another nail in the coffin for the DEA

 

[Sebastian]

I don't think they should legalize the hard shit like herion. That shit just f*cks people beyond repair. Once you start you can't stop. Also coke is a ****ing addictive as hell drug that shouldn't be legalized.

 

[Ennui]

I don't think they should legalize the hard shit like herion. That shit just f*cks people beyond repair. Once you start you can't stop. Also coke is a ****ing addictive as hell drug that shouldn't be legalized.

Don't say things like that unless you have personal experience, please. For that very reason I won't get into it, because what I have and haven't had experience with is best kept to myself and a few closer internet friends.

I read this last night on Bluelight.nu... interesting move, a nice big "**** YOU, AMERICA!" coming from Vicente Fox.

I'll note to you all that that's really not much drugs allowed - this is just so they don't have to worry about punishing small-time drug users, and worry about the big shots, the dealers and cartels.

I think it's a good idea, though it's really not based on any kind of moral structuring like I would have it, it's based off necessity.

In conclusion, next Spring Break is going to be wild.

 

[15357]

"marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and even heroin"

Although there wasn't any information about marijuana, www.police.go.kr says that ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin are all hard shit. "The usage of even a minor amount can lead to heart dieases, brain damage, and mind destruction"

Sounds ****ed to me, in my opinion, though.

 

[Adabiviak]

At the very least, this'll be an interesting social experiment. I'm dubious whether or not anything substantial will change though.

 

[Ennui]

"marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and even heroin"

Although there wasn't any information about marijuana, www.police.go.kr says that ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin are all hard shit. "The usage of even a minor amount can lead to heart dieases, brain damage, and mind destruction"

Sounds ****ed to me, in my opinion, though.

Varying levels of truth to all of that. MDMA (ecstasy) isn't that bad, though it's more likely than not that you'll get something other than ecstasy when you buy it. Cocaine isn't that bad either (though it CAN kill you quite easily, if you're either stupid with it or just unlucky enough to be the one in a thousand that it kills off the bat), but is horribly easy to get addicted to (psychologically that is). Heroin isn't that terrible either, but it tends to make you care about nothing else, and has very high overdose potential, which will kill you.

And there's no info about marijuana because to be frank it's on the most part less harmful than alcohol, and we don't want that secret getting out, do we?

 

[CptStern]

criminalising it doesnt stop use, legalising takes away the criminality behind drug use

one step closer to personal responsibility and personal freedom

numbers, that site is full of shit, if it were true there'd be thousands if not millions of people who have brain damage, mind destruction etc after using morphine, heroine and other substances meant to ease chronic pain. Once again you prove why it's best not to listen to your governments stifling propaganda


listening to a lecture about medical procedures, the speaker commented that in order to overdose on marijuana you'd have to smoke 100 pounds every minute for 15 minutes ..and even then the most likely cause of death would be smoke inhalation (similiar to be in a fire). So overdosing on pot is literally impossible

this is what a pound looks like ..you'd have to smoke 1500 of those bags in 15 minutes

 

[Ennui]

I'd agree numbers, as a general thread advisory... two of the better, more informative sites with UNBIASED and ACCURATE drug information:

http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/
- This is a very good introductory tutorial to the experiences, possible dangers, etc of most common drugs. It's not that in-depth, but the info is unbiased and true.

http://www.erowid.org/
- The drug bible. A step up from the Good Drugs Guide above, this is far more in-depth. Best for it's experience vaults.

 

[15357]

Varying levels of truth to all of that. MDMA (ecstasy) isn't that bad, though it's more likely than not that you'll get something other than ecstasy when you buy it. Cocaine isn't that bad either (though it CAN kill you quite easily, if you're either stupid with it or just unlucky enough to be the one in a thousand that it kills off the bat), but is horribly easy to get addicted to (psychologically that is). Heroin isn't that terrible either, but it tends to make you care about nothing else, and has very high overdose potential, which will kill you.

And there's no info about marijuana because to be frank it's on the most part less harmful than alcohol, and we don't want that secret getting out, do we?

Oohhhhh. Thank you for the information. Why is marijuna banned, then? It seems pointless to ban a substance not (that) harmful.

criminalising it doesnt stop use, legalising takes away the criminality behind drug use

one step closer to personal responsibility and personal freedom

numbers, that site is full of shit, if it were true there'd be thousands if not millions of people who have brain damage, mind destruction etc after using morphine, heroine and other substances meant to ease chronic pain. Once again you prove why it's best not to listen to your governments stifling propaganda


listening to a lecture about medical procedures, the speaker commented that in order to overdose on marijuana you'd have to smoke 100 pounds every minute for 15 minutes ..and even then the most likely cause of death would be smoke inhalation (similiar to be in a fire). So overdosing on pot is literally impossible

this is what a pound looks like ..you'd have to smoke 1500 of those bags in 15 minutes

Ah, k.

I'll probably never try it though...

 

[Ennui]

Oohhhhh. Thank you for the information. Why is marijuna banned, then? It seems pointless to ban a substance not (that) harmful.

Widespread misinformation, mostly traceable to a heavy anti-marijuana campaign in the first half of the century that was used as a platform for some politician to get elected.

 

[CptStern]

I'll probably never try it though...

I'm not asking you to ..especially as seeing as how they're so over the top with punishment for drug possession in that part of the world

 

[DeusExMachina]

I could understand Marijuana and maybe ecstacy, but ****ing cocaine and heroin? That just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Sebastian]

This won't stop the cartels and drug dealers; It makes their business legit. I am reading a book now called "killing Pablo', which is about the biggest drug dealer this world has ever seen. He tried to have legislation passed that made cocaine trafficing legal, but the Columbian government wouldn't have it. Now that Mexico is legalizing the shit, they will have new incentive to label drug trafficing as a legitiment business. (although if that happened the government would probably control the growth and distribution of the substances.) Is anyone here from amsterdam? I wonder how the drugs get into that city? Is it government provided or is it from private growers?

 

[Warbie]

Oohhhhh. Thank you for the information. Why is marijuna banned, then? It seems pointless to ban a substance not (that) harmful.

That's debatable. In the areas of the world that cannabis in accepted, even regarded as normal, I feel it does a great deal of harm. I'm not including Holland in this - of the many times i've been there i've found the dutch to be some of the most sensible and moderate smokers around - but the various areas in towns and cities in which cannabis use is considered as normal as having a cup of coffee. I also not talking about occasional users - kids at uni, people who smoke on the weekend - but rather the increasing number that smoke weed all the time.

I can walk outside and see kids as young as 12 smoking weed in the street, kids who wouldn't consider touching alcohol. Everyone I know smokes on a daily basis, as do their families and friends. Most smoked throughout school and those few that didn't were considered to be prudes. Not only does it appeal to children far more than other drugs, it's also possible to 'function' while using heavily at school/work/uni. And this is the trouble, puberty + lots of weed = some seriously maladjusted adults.

imo - it also makes people mean and selfish.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

And if I were to take it, I'd be putting myself at even higher risk of Schizophrenia.

I don't agree with drugs, really. Good friends of mine have ruined their lives over them.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Mechagodzilla]

The good news is, if this works for Mexico, it'll have to spread elsewheres, and eventually it'll lead to gangs losing their (pretty much only) source of profit.

I'm not a drug user myself, and I have no intention to start. But if we put all the drugs, even the hardcore ones, up on the cigarette shelves with accurate warning labels, heavy sales taxes and ID checks, you won't have people going to back alleys to buy it, and you won't have the people who live in back alleys selling it.

The simple logic behind it, I think, is that drugs are currently Microsoft Windows. They aren't very high quality but there is a huge demand and no real alternative source.
So, Bill Gates gets the megabuxx.
Now, imagine if the government were to take, say, Unix and beef it up into a program that doesn't suck and has mass appeal.
And, not only that, is totally cheap/free.
Microsoft would either need to (A) make Windows into the best program ever or (B) sell windows for hella cheap.
Regardless of the outcome, Gates loses profit.

Kill 'em with capitalism.

 

[Pesmerga]

If the weaker half of the planet was hooked on heroin, it'd be a hell of a lot easier to maintain social communities. It would almost be a "good vs evil" mentality, a theological government, if you will. Something to believe in, to fight for. You'd have the 'in betweens' which supplied the heroin (or whatever) for a price (I honestly don't know where they would get the money... looting? theft? I imagine there's something to barter with), and the two polar extremes. But that probably would never work without the right conditions. Anyway, I digress. Personal freedom and choice, blah blah.

Edit - Meh, my crazy ideas are always toppled over before they are even posted.

 

[Warbie]

And if I were to take it, I'd be putting myself at even higher risk of Schizophrenia

I know various people who have to take antidepressants and antipsychotics. One was put away after completely losing the plot. One thing they all had in common was smoking weed heavily from a young age. Coincidence? I think not.

//edit - I feel by legalising drugs governments appear to condone there use. Of course this isn't the case, but people are idiots (and governments are corrupt)

 

[Ennui]

This won't stop the cartels and drug dealers; It makes their business legit. I am reading a book now called "killing Pablo', which is about the biggest drug dealer this world has ever seen. He tried to have legislation passed that made cocaine trafficing legal, but the Columbian government wouldn't have it. Now that Mexico is legalizing the shit, they will have new incentive to label drug trafficing as a legitiment business. (although if that happened the government would probably control the growth and distribution of the substances.) Is anyone here from amsterdam? I wonder how the drugs get into that city? Is it government provided or is it from private growers?

Talk about misinterpretation. The point isn't to be more lax on drug use, it's to divert focus away from people who don't have a part in the drug game other than as a consumer so they can focus on prosecuting the suppliers.

 

[Ome_Vince]

Here in Holland soft drugs is legal, and it works pretty well since the "coolness" is reduced as is the crime surrounding it. Funny thing is the most of the problems we get, is from drug-tourists from other parts of the world, especially French, Germans, Canadians and Americans.
If i remember correctly, they now want to move the coffee-shops out of the city center to reduce this.

 

[Ennui]

That's good, in my opinion. Legalization should be on the basis that drug use by people who choose to do so doesn't disturb others in any negative way.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Sounds like a good idea, it might also stop some of the import to the US of harder drugs because it doesn't legalize amounts held by distributors, so the government of Mexico can spend more time attacking cartels than doing petty arrests on users.

 

[Death.Trap]

Varying levels of truth to all of that. MDMA (ecstasy) isn't that bad, though it's more likely than not that you'll get something other than ecstasy when you buy it. Cocaine isn't that bad either (though it CAN kill you quite easily, if you're either stupid with it or just unlucky enough to be the one in a thousand that it kills off the bat), but is horribly easy to get addicted to (psychologically that is). Heroin isn't that terrible either, but it tends to make you care about nothing else, and has very high overdose potential, which will kill you.

And there's no info about marijuana because to be frank it's on the most part less harmful than alcohol, and we don't want that secret getting out, do we?

From personal expirence-minus the heroin- I'll give this a QFT.

 

[Loc-Dog]

This law has become a trend in other countries in South America aswell. It might be legal all over the place in not so long.

 

[el Chi]

I'll note to you all that that's really not much drugs allowed - this is just so they don't have to worry about punishing small-time drug users, and worry about the big shots, the dealers and cartels.

I think it's a good idea, though it's really not based on any kind of moral structuring like I would have it, it's based off necessity.

Yeah, I think it often seems a bit shitty to lock up an addict for posession because, unless you can actually get them to go to a rehab program, then there's not much point. You delay their shooting up, but it doesn't necessarily stop it and it uses up a lot of police time that could be put to better use (ie: going after bigger fish)

 

[Reaktor4]

Its good news but making it legal only for people to possess small amounts of a drug for personal use wont solve the major problem, gangs making shitloads by selling waaaaay overpriced, poor quality addictive drugs to people who are forced into crime themselves and ruin their own lives trying to pay for it. If they want to fix that theyre gonna have to have licensed shops and/or let people get it free on prescription.

eventually it'll lead to gangs losing their (pretty much only) source of profit.

It wont without changes to the law regarding selling.

But if we put all the drugs, even the hardcore ones, up on the cigarette shelves with accurate warning labels, heavy sales taxes and ID checks, you won't have people going to back alleys to buy it, and you won't have the people who live in back alleys selling it.

If its taxed high you will. Its common now in the uk for people to buy illegal (although usually imported and good quality) alcohol and cigarettes because the legal drugs are taxed so much.

 

[15357]

The simple logic behind it, I think, is that drugs are currently Microsoft Windows. They aren't very high quality but there is a huge demand and no real alternative source.
So, Bill Gates gets the megabuxx.
Now, imagine if the government were to take, say, Unix and beef it up into a program that doesn't suck and has mass appeal.
And, not only that, is totally cheap/free.
Microsoft would either need to (A) make Windows into the best program ever or (B) sell windows for hella cheap.
Regardless of the outcome, Gates loses profit.

Kill 'em with capitalism.

And that wouldn't really be capitalism if I understand correctly. Leaving the market free and without unneeded protectionism would be capitalism, right?


<3 Microsoft.

 

[Pesmerga]

And that wouldn't really be capitalism if I understand correctly. Leaving the market free and without unneeded protectionism would be capitalism, right?


<3 Microsoft.

Isn't that was Mecha suggested? Everything being legally buyable? Or do you mean to call the shot on the taxes?

 

[15357]

I meant goverment intervention in creating super-Unix programs...

 

[Teta_Bonita]

Repealing the prohibition act here in America for the most part ended many crimanal sydnicates associated withe the mafia. Some would argue that the same would happen if drugs are legalized, but even that may not outweigh the negative effects of this act. I wonder what effect this will have on mexico socially- I'm having these scary thoughts of mexico ending up like the city in Condemned: Criminal Origins. D:

Just to get an idea, can anyone who's been to Amtsderdam tell me what its like?

 

[Mechagodzilla]

I meant government intervention in creating super-Unix programs...

Funding. And that was a metaphor where I imagined a science-fiction world where Unix didn't suck.

The idea in any case is for the government to remove the monopoly.

Its common now in the uk for people to buy illegal (although usually imported and good quality) alcohol and cigarettes because the legal drugs are taxed so much.

No-one can boast 100% effectiveness in eliminating criminality. Still, I believe that however many people end up dodging the taxes, it'd still be preferable to the current Al Capone situation.

 

[CptStern]

simple possession needs to be decriminalised so that things like this dont happen:


- Oklahoman man Jim Montgomery, a paraplegic who smoked cannabis to relieve muscle spasm. He was busted for two ounces of marijuana and sentenced to life plus 16 years.

http://www.thehempire.com/index.php..._brief_history_of_cannabis_prohibition_part_4

 

[DeusExMachina]

simple possession needs to be decriminalised so that things like this dont happen:


- Oklahoman man Jim Montgomery, a paraplegic who smoked cannabis to relieve muscle spasm. He was busted for two ounces of marijuana and sentenced to life plus 16 years.

http://www.thehempire.com/index.php..._brief_history_of_cannabis_prohibition_part_4

What the ****...what year did that happen?

 

[CptStern]

1992

 

[DeusExMachina]

That article must've gotten false information. You do not get life imprisonment for carrying Marijuana. You don't get it for carrying drugs period :|.

 

[CptStern]

he served 10 yrs

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=1774

 

[DeusExMachina]

What a piece of shit Deputy. ****ing guy is a paraplegic.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

he served 10 yrs

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=1774

Good god what a complete ****ing failure of the justice system.

 

[Pesmerga]

testimony of a sheriff’s deputy named Lawless who claimed he had never seen anyone with two ounces who was not a major dealer.

Lawless? :O

 

[ríomhaire]

Good. Drungs and prostitution should be legalised IMO.
It will take funding away from gangs
Government can make money on it rather than lose it
Kids are less likly to take it just to rebel against a-thor-it-ay