Photo: elpablo
Back in February, Matador reported that several Latin American countries were considering changing the region’s strategy in the war on drugs. Mexico followed up yesterday.
It was a small item in today’s New York Times: “Mexico Legalizes Drug Possession.”
But the news may have big implications for drug policy in the Americas.
Mexico’s federal government passed a law yesterday that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana, as well as cocaine, heroin, meth, and LSD.
The law, which established legal limits for personal possession, represents a shift from a punitive drug policy to one that treats drugs as a public health issue. If successful, the law may serve as a model for other countries in the region.
The law went into effect today.
Community Connection:
Drugs can be taken too far, of course. Read about Bolivia’s cocaine bars and weigh in: Do these represent a “Latin American Adventure or Playing With Fire?”
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7 Comments... join the discussion!
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First parts/all mexico bans plastic bottles, now this… hey america get off your high horse (no pun intended) and make some changes for the better!!!
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uuuuh I mean plastic bags……. thanks either way mexico.. this TEXAS lady will be visiting ya sometime soon!
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I really don’t want to follow Mexico as a model for anything, people leave there for better lives, just like my family….
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legalize medical marijuana, Doctors and nurses have seen that for many patients, cannabis is more useful, less toxic, and less expensive than the conventional medicines prescribed for diverse syndromes and symptoms, including multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, migraine headaches, severe nausea and vomiting, convulsive disorders, the AIDS wasting syndrome, chronic pain, and many others.”
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People who don’t live near the border shouldn’t talk about how they are happy Mexico drug law possession is a good thing, if you live here and see what happens maybe your thoughts would change, yes i see where you would see that the money generated by the drug trafficing would help society, but its only a matter of time before greed would kick in. If you really think about it this could be the beginning of a new war and not just a small one but a major one. I would like to see like to see one of yall to come down over here and go in to Nuevo Laredo or any Mexico city and see how it is.
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