Mexico Decriminalizes Marijuana and other Drugs!

[Skip]

Mexico's President Calderon has signed into law the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana and other drugs including heroin, cocaine, LSD and methamphetamine.

It's hoped that this will discourage police corruption and free more police to fight the big gangs.

The maximum amount of marijuana for "personal use" under the new law is 5 grams — the equivalent of about four joints. The limit is a half gram for cocaine, the equivalent of about 4 "lines." For other drugs, the limits are 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams for methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams for LSD.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iP1GlMCOzYSi8kbAUY1lLDdq c4vAD9A78JIO3

[turbolaser4528]

fucking awesome

[Farmer John]

Hooray!!! So next time I go there is gonna be somewhat silly I gueesssss....:P cmon, reefer, acid, coke, meth and heroin...gonna be some serious fear & loathing. :D

[BigTex]

Yayyy....That's not so far a drive for me!

[JackTheGrower]

http://www.icmag.com/viewarticle.php?commentid=1124 #comment1124

A nice video to watch... Love these guys and don't you know I know people like that!

[Farmer John]

Tex goddamn we go have some high times in Puerto Escondido :D legal LSD!!!! :woohoo:

[randude101]

This all sounds good and fine, but I am skeptical for some reason. I will wait and see. I am 500 miles to the nearest Mexican city myself.

[JackTheGrower]

It's about 8 hour drive for me..

An American ICMag Cup?


LOL! Amsterdam needs to improve now Hot Damn let's get some competition going for our Cannabis Tourist money.

Amsterdam could make it nicer and so can Mexico

[alpinestar]

The Netherlands of Central America?

[JackTheGrower]

The Netherlands of Central America?

Why not! The food is great! I can dig the music too I'm exposed to it all the time..

[PkRipper]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaIgt6TGhIA&feature=related

[darookie2000]

This is pretty damn smart of them. I don't believe it's going to lead to coffee shops, since it's clear that the aim here is to avoid the law enforcement shakedowns for which Mexico has become notorious, rather than to allow widespread use. I don't think that a coffeeshop would be able to last, since the goal is to target widespread distribution rather than allowing unscrupulous police to make money shaking down users.

[bass ackwards]

I bet the US govt. put a lot of pressure on Mexico to keep the quantities down. I wonder if it is possible that the quantities will rise in the near future,at least for pot. If that were to happen then Mexico could be the Amsterdam of the Americas.
Just the fact that they legalized small quantities will put more pressure on our govt. to review it's prohibition on pot. This is great news!

Respect bass

[Irie_Lion]

Yea this is definitely a step in the right direction. It will definately help to bring in tourists dollars especially at times like spring break!!! It will be interesting to see how it all plays out though in the near future. Way to go Mexico ;) now we have part of central america decrim and some parts to the north of usa in canada decrim there is nothing left for the usa to do but give in lol.


Guidance

[GR8shoeBaDizzle]

Viva Mexico !!!!

[Jalisco Kid]

This law has changed nothing down here. If you guys come down here with that attitude you will be in for a shock. I can guarantee you, gueros was not considered at all when this was passed. It was mainly passed because peoples kids were getting jacked,especially those going to school. Tourist will always be considered open season for cops. We see tourist as arrogant money bags. To be tolerated but not necessarily liked. Suerte JK

[kmk420kali]

This law has changed nothing down here. If you guys come down here with that attitude you will be in for a shock. I can guarantee you, gueros was not considered at all when this was passed. It was mainly passed because peoples kids were getting jacked,especially those going to school. Tourist will always be considered open season for cops. We see tourist as arrogant money bags. To be tolerated but not necessarily liked. Suerte JK

And you call THEM "Arrogant"??
They are bringing $$ into your Country/Town/Pockets...and you hate them for it??:wallbash:
Is this the same Mexico that bitches when Illegals are not afforded Rights in the US??
I am not being Racist here...I am asking....Why??

[Zero Hedge]

And you call THEM "Arrogant"??
They are bringing $$ into your Country/Town/Pockets...and you hate them for it??:wallbash:
Is this the same Mexico that bitches when Illegals are not afforded Rights in the US??
I am not being Racist here...I am asking....Why??

I think Jalisco has a good point. Not faulting your reasoning, kmk, just noting that most everywhere you go, no one likes a tourist... and American tourists seem to be especially deplorable. Go to any Spring Break beach town or tourist destination in Mexico and you might notice that there isnt a lot of interest in the local culture. These are mostly places to trash, get fucked up, be stupid,,, and then leave. This new rule isnt to increase tourism, its an attempt to quell the horror of the drug lords.

[CosmicGiggle]

Quantities are small but it's a good start.:joint:

Things are starting to loosen up, thank God! :yeahthats

[Skip]

I was calculating again...

Let's see 0.015 milligrams for LSD.

That works out to 15,000 mikes, no?

A good tab of pure LSD is what like 300 mikes?

That comes out to allowing ppl to have 500 good hits of LSD, and only FOUR JOINTS?

That's totally unfair to cannabis users. If you go to Mexico you must score about once a day, which means much more risk to you than if they had put the limit at an ounce.

Ah but you can trip your brains out till hell freezes over without any risk (other than a bad trip).

Who the hell came up with these figures?

I'm hoping that Mexico will soon adopt Spain's new attitude towards cannabis. They pretty much allow it, with some exceptions. People in Spain smoke marijuana in cafes, snort coke in restaurants, and nobody seems to care. If Mexico were to be more like that, it would indeed increase cannabis tourism.

[Skip]

As for who came up with those figures, you're probably right, it's the US DEA who pretty much dictates drug policy to sovereign countries around the world. The DEA is in nearly every country, every city in the world. They are right there whispering into politicians ears what their drug laws should be, or else no secret payoffs to them. It's been this way for decades now, and it's the MAIN REASON why cannabis is still illegal in most of the world.

The DEA is perhaps the most corrupt agency in the world and they corrupt more politicians than any one. Their secret bribes to get what they want must come to an end. Their corruption must be exposed. We need far more transparency when it comes to that agency and it's dirty deeds.

They are also whispering into the ears of American politicians, esp. those in California. They are pressuring local governments to stop passing more liberal marijuana laws. They can threaten to cut off their Drug War money that pays for all the latest goodies for law enforcement. They have a least one politician in their pocket in every local gov't, and of course the LEOs too.

The reason all this is corruption is because it undermines the democratic political process. The voice of the people gets marginalized while the DEA and politicians make backroom deals for more restrictive marijuana laws. I'm watching this play out in my own county where the Feds just made a bust using 4 helicopters, 7 Cadillac Escalades and dozens of DEA agents all for a crop of just over 100 plants run by a collective.... and the search warrants are under seal. It's all so fucking secret! Why? Because people are being corrupted and the rest lied to.

[kmk420kali]

I think Jalisco has a good point. Not faulting your reasoning, kmk, just noting that most everywhere you go, no one likes a tourist... and American tourists seem to be especially deplorable. Go to any Spring Break beach town or tourist destination in Mexico and you might notice that there isnt a lot of interest in the local culture. These are mostly places to trash, get fucked up, be stupid,,, and then leave. This new rule isnt to increase tourism, its an attempt to quell the horror of the drug lords.

Yeah, that is a good point....but they do the same thing here (the american kids lol) but they are still filling hotels, restaurants..all the things that they buy-- The stupidity is just how it is...it is like a "Fad"... lol!!
And I agree about the new Law not being to increase tourism...it is a Positive step towards reducing corruption--

[cannariffic]

I wonder if the US Congress that made marijuana illegal think it would go away. We will never die. Never quit. Never Surrender.

[dank.frank]

Well, that is one way to make it a popular spring break destination for colleges all across the US again!!

Have to say, this is a good move on the part of Mexico.

Not that I agree with using other drugs...but I do not think that prohibition in the concept as we know it and understand it, is effective. It is only natural to take a step the other direction....sooner or later, things have to be re-evaluated...


dank.Frank

[Jalisco Kid]

I just reread what I wrote it must have been before I had my coffee. But how many of you piss in public in your town,walk wherever you want with alcohol, and where you are from is being loud and obnoxious the norm? People may not believe what they hear but they do what they see. JK

[kmk420kali]

I just reread what I wrote it must have been before I had my coffee. But how many of you piss in public in your town,walk wherever you want with alcohol, and where you are from is being loud and obnoxious the norm? People may not believe what they hear but they do what they see. JK

Ppl from Vegas??:nanana:
I hear ya man...and I understand it from the local standpoint-- I grew up in a Tourist town...but it was more middle class tourist--
I also lived in the Philippines, and seen it from a "Friends" standpoint-- I loved the ppl where I lived, but also seen what they had to go through to exists--
But guess what...I still see it here, in Temecula....they are called "Partys"--
It is a different world than it was 20 years ago...for better or for worse...this is what it is--:1help::yeahthats

[StinkingRoger]

Yeah Just So long as you got Money you Should be able to go anywhere you want in anyone`s country Right? Wrong Guys. Sorry your Money is not the answer.
Its all about Respect. You may have a lot of money but without repsect you can keep it all to yourself and have nothing.

[BiG H3rB Tr3E]

I bet the US govt. put a lot of pressure on Mexico to keep the quantities down. I wonder if it is possible that the quantities will rise in the near future,at least for pot. If that were to happen then Mexico could be the Amsterdam of the Americas.
Just the fact that they legalized small quantities will put more pressure on our govt. to review it's prohibition on pot. This is great news!

Respect bass

Do you remember when canada tried to legalize weed and john walters (us drug czar) went to canada and threatened trade sanctions against canada if they were to legalize cannabis making it a readily available exportable "poison" as JW said. Funny america exports tobacco and kills around five million people worldwide ANNUALLY from tobacco. But hey, be careful of that bc bud.....:wallbash:

[robbiedublu]

This law has changed nothing down here. If you guys come down here with that attitude you will be in for a shock. I can guarantee you, gueros was not considered at all when this was passed. It was mainly passed because peoples kids were getting jacked,especially those going to school. Tourist will always be considered open season for cops. We see tourist as arrogant money bags. To be tolerated but not necessarily liked. Suerte JK

I agree. I doubt this will change anything for tourists.

[panopticist]

I just reread what I wrote it must have been before I had my coffee. But how many of you piss in public in your town,walk wherever you want with alcohol, and where you are from is being loud and obnoxious the norm? People may not believe what they hear but they do what they see. JK

I wouldn't sweat it, man. Though your criticism could be seen as being a little 'harsh', the fact of the matter is I live in a coastal town and I can't wait for summer to end so the herds will migrate back to their respective pastures.

[bobblehead]

Yeah, this changes very little now... But it's a good start. I've been caught with drugs in Mexico long before this, but a small quantity, and nothing happened. Granted it wasn't police, it was a bouncer at a club... lol... He was just trying to get a bribe out of me, and in the end, I just walked away.

Drugs have always been readily available in Mexico. Cocaine is easier to come across than weed. Tourists will always be a target, but as long as you stick to your guns, and don't pay the bribe, you won't be going to jail... Assuming they don't plant something on you... lol... Mexican police are super corrupt.

[journeyquest]

I wonder what the quantity is? I read up to 5 grams of weed and 50mg of coke. Not sure. Only 1.5 hour drive. Got my passport card. TJ has got more beautiful hookers than you can shake a stick at. And they all look to be about 18yrs. All in a 4 block area. And legal. And yes i welcome tourists here in the USA as long as they are not terrorist tourists. And i respect Mexicans as much as any other people. Cant we all just get along?

[JackTheGrower]

LOL it all boils down to money.

In this article we see where the investment possibilities may happen.

Certainly the cruse lines have a major advantage. I'd take a ship on my next vacation! They are great!

Anyone cruse to Mexico? Do you have a favorite ship?


Jack



Mexico legalized and the Financial world regroups (http://seekingalpha.com/article/159031-marijuana-lsd-cocaine-now-legal-in-mexico-will-the-economy-benefit)

Now that Mexico has decriminalized marijuana, LSD, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine in small quantities, investors are taking a closer look at companies that may benefit from the increased Mexican tourist trade. On Monday, August 24, laws were passed in Mexico to very little fanfare which eliminated crimes for possession of small amounts of these substances. Now individuals can possess up to a half-gram of cocaine and 40 grams of marijuana. The reasoning behind this change was that crackdowns didn't seem to reduce the violence and deaths from the war on drugs.

Back in January of this year, we featured an article about all the various publicly traded companies that are involved in the marketing of marijuana or its cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. Since that time, a couple of new publicly traded stocks have appeared on the horizon with marijuana or cannabis in their name. These may be interesting yet speculative very low cap plays if California and other states change their laws to legalize or decriminalize marijuana.

One stock sector worth checking out might be the Mexico based companies. An example would be Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B de C.V (FMX), also known as FEMSA, which is the largest beverage company in Mexico, and for that matter, all of Latin America. They produce many popular beers including Carta Blanca, Tecate, Tecate Light, Superior, Sol, Dos Equis Lager, and Dos Equis Ambar.

A more general way to play the Mexico stock market is through an ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico Investable Market Index Fund (EWW). There are also a couple of closed end funds such as the Mexico Fund, Inc. (MXF) and the Mexico Equity & Income Fund Inc. (MXE).

However, the stock play from this change would probably be in the travel industry, stocks that might take advantage of the "Spring Break" effect. For example, there are a couple of cruise lines with trips to Mexico that include Carnival Corp. (CCL) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL). The Mexican airline industry might benefit also, especially if fuel prices soften, since there seems to be recovery taking place from the swine flu outbreak. A couple companies in that sector include Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte S.A. de C.V. (OMAB) and Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (PAC).

It will be interesting to see how this significant change in Mexico's laws will affect travel and the economy south of the border.

Disclosure: Author does not own any of the above.

[Bulldog11]

Now it is the USA's turn to legalize.

[JackTheGrower]

Now it is the USA's turn to legalize.

Yeah it's driving me crazy .. Many will sign but fewer than one in 100 will collect signatures!

So Everyone! Volunteer! How can I say this simply.. No One is going to do it for us!

Yes Bulldog11 it's time..

[Tony Aroma]

That article is nonsense. First of all, it's 5 g of mj, NOT 40, that you can possess legally now. And growing/selling it is still illegal. So this change will have little or no impact on the Mexican economy or tourist trade. It will however have an impact on the police's priorities and how many non-violent drug offenders go to jail. But I wouldn't go changing my investment portfolio based on this change in law.

[ArcticBlast]

Royal Caribbean dude, seriously

ArcticBlast

[JackTheGrower]

Royal Caribbean dude, seriously

ArcticBlast

RC?

Tony I admit I only skimmed..

I'm thinking only resort areas under the protection are going to be safe party spots actually..
I may be wrong.

[fisher15]

Hmm, going through my options on places to decompress this winter...

Would rather not smoke mexi-schwag either, wonder of saftey in airports

[varTy]

i cant believe sum shit!!

Mexico's new drug law a 'tragic surrender' (http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31172)

WASHINGTON (BP)--A new law in Mexico decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana and other narcotics -- including cocaine and heroin -– will inflict "a serious setback" to the battle against drugs in the United States, a Southern Baptist policy expert has predicted.

"We now have an entire country on our southern border that is a haven for drug abuse," Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy and research for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, noted in an Aug. 29 blog.

"Our southwestern states will suffer first from this tragic surrender as more drug-addicted people come across the border. Then the rest of the country will feel it as they move inland," Duke wrote.

"Inspections at the border will become more difficult as well, as more people attempt to cross into the country with their 'legal' drug amounts. You can be sure that U.S. relations with Mexico are going to be more strained as a result of this decision. …

"You can also expect Mexico's decision to lead to increased calls for decriminalization of drugs in the U.S.," Duke predicted, citing an Aug. 27 decision by a marijuana policy panel in Denver to urge the county court's presiding judge to adopt a $1 fine for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. "Such actions will be more common as our cities feel the added weight of Mexico's drug problem spilling over the border," Duke wrote.

Under Mexico's new drug decriminalization law, which went into effect Aug. 20, possession of 5 grams of marijuana is legal, as is half a gram of cocaine, 40 milligrams of meth (methamphetamine) and 50 milligrams of heroin, the Associated Press reported. Cocaine and LSD also would be legal in small amounts.

Selling such narcotics, possessing larger amounts of such drugs or using them in public remain illegal, the AP noted.

The new law, Mexico Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora told a news conference, will free up law enforcement officials to focus on major drug traffickers, the AP reported.

Duke, however, pointed to "a superb editorial" in Investor's Business Daily critical of Mexico's drug decriminalization. Duke noted that the IBD editorial makes "five irrefutable arguments":

"1. Consumption will increase.

"2. Addiction will increase.

"3. Treatment costs for addicts will increase.

"4. Drug traffickers will profit.

"5. The law-abiding population will be demoralized."

The Investor's Business Daily editorial predicted that "new customers mean new cash for [Mexico's] already powerful cartels. To these organized crime groups, it means money to buy guns or to bribe officials. All of this lowers their cost of doing business, and raises it for the state to fight them. [The cartels will] grow more powerful -- not less."

The IBD editorial singled out Venezuela and Ecuador as the "worst" of nations "with little will to fight cartels," stemming in large measure from leaders "with ties to drug traffickers like Colombia's FARC," which controls much of the nation's embattled cocaine trade. Argentina and Bolivia, IBD added, "still see the drug war as a gringo war and are indifferent to their own responsibilities even as crime and addiction grow." The IBD editorial also said: "Think tanks financed by distant billionaire George Soros have worked to make the idea of decriminalization trendy among the smart set."

However, the editorial noted that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is turning the tide against Colombia's traffickers and has "dealt hard blows to Marxist narcoterrorists -- all from a position that looked hopeless. Unlike less successful leaders, he's moving harder against legalization because he knows he can win."

Mexico President Felipe Calderon, in embracing drug decriminalization, has waved a "white flag [that] throws away the sacrifices courageous Mexicans have already made, in blood and treasure, to crush these lawless organizations," IBD wrote. "Mexicans can't be blamed for wondering what they're fighting for if others can use drugs in front of their faces as they fight. Morale will plummet."

More than 10,000 Mexicans have been killed in the country's fight against drug cartels in recent years, including 1,000 troops, even while the nation's drug addiction rate has soared 30 percent over the last five years, according to IBD.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws' deputy director, Paul Armentano, called the new Mexico law "a small step in the right direction" but complained that private and commercial production of marijuana and possession of larger amounts of marijuana remain criminal offenses. Armentano also complained that "marijuana will continue to be classified as contraband (and therefore seized by police), and the user will be strongly urged to seek drug treatment (or coerced to do so if it is one's third 'offense.')"

Duke, of the Southern Baptist ethics agency, frequently has countered NORML's push for marijuana legalization.

In a Baptist Press column in April, Duke noted that the push for legalizing marijuana "must be tempered by personal and social responsibility. Decriminalization of marijuana will encourage destructive behavior in users and affect the entire nation. When users no longer fear arrest, they will have marijuana more often and use it more often. Inebriation is only part of the problem. Marijuana users have higher risks of numerous medical problems, including cancer, psychosis, strokes, respiratory damage and heart attacks. They increase these risks with increased use. Additionally, increased use will lead to more personal and family problems. Work productivity will decrease as will employability. Such outcomes will put additional pressure on families, communities, businesses, health services and law enforcement."

Addressing the push for marijuana legalization for medical purposes, Duke wrote that "marijuana's pain-relieving ingredient has been available by prescription for years. The use of marijuana as a means to self-medicate one's mental health is also not justifiable. People dealing with depression need the regular care of a trained professional. If they require drugs, there are plenty of proven mood-altering ones available that do not introduce as many potential and likely problems as marijuana. Smoking marijuana medicinally threatens to make bad situations worse for many users. Marijuana introduces multiple toxic chemicals into the systems of people whose bodies are already weakened from their ailments. Not only might these toxic chemicals interfere with the healing process, but users risk developing additional [physical and mental health] problems."

i cant even put into words how dumb this is.. anyone wanna try?

[Fuzz420]

wow, those last two paragraphs were jewels

[ShoeboxSherman]

i cant believe sum shit!!

....a Southern Baptist policy expert has predicted.



i cant even put into words how dumb this is.. anyone wanna try?

I would have stopped right there, but you were kind enough to post it, so I read it. I think I lost 50 or 60 IQ points during that time.

[JackTheGrower]

Oh SHIT I'm dead and didn't know it..

What will they say about pollution and global warming?

Maybe we should have them champion health care for everyone with such insight?


The only thing that serves is to protect Federal paychecks.

Sure we have a problem but the Answer is to bring the "ILLEGAL" into the realm of public control..

Someone knock me off this pulpit...


Seriously how can we control Drugs if we turn a blind eye and hope our plump, well paid law enforcement will eliminate the very reason we pay them.. Come On people wake up..



Jack

[DIGITALHIPPY]

wow, those last two paragraphs were jewels

yea they are!!!!

is there any scientific proof for thoes so-called "toxic-substances"???
cannabis itself isnt toxic.....unless there talking about pesticides, contamination.... still sound like dim-whits.

also good for mexico. they have major issues.:2cents:

[SmokinSHO]

...

[Tony Aroma]

i cant believe sum shit!!

Mexico's new drug law a 'tragic surrender' (http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31172)

This is a joke, right? It's just some old article from the 1930s that you dug up. Surely no one believes that crap nowadays. Oh wait. This is the U.S. of A. we're talking about. Nevermind.

[Skip]

I stopped reading the passage after the first sentence ended with this:
"a Southern Baptist policy expert has predicted."

Got it! A world renown cannabis expert!

OK, I couldn't resist cause the next sentence was so enticing!

"vice president for public policy and research for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission"

Got it, peer reviewed scientific study! Max credibility! :laughing:

[bass ackwards]

The sad fact is that many people will take that crap that that idiot is spouting as the truth. Sadly there is still a large percentage of the US population who believe what he is saying,and will not even entertain arguments to the contrary. Their position can best be described with the old saw;"My mind is made up,don't confuse me with the facts". You can't convince these people that they are mistaken.

Respect bass

[Minion]

The sad fact is that many people will take that crap that that idiot is spouting as the truth. Sadly there is still a large percentage of the US population who believe what he is saying,and will not even entertain arguments to the contrary. Their position can best be described with the old saw;"My mind is made up,don't confuse me with the facts". You can't convince these people that they are mistaken.

Respect bass

Very sad indeed. Sad for me because I'm surrounded by those twatwaffles.

[RollmeoneKenobi]

Very sad indeed. Sad for me because I'm surrounded by those twatwaffles.
You aint the only ones surrounded by those twatwaffles! :fsu::laughing::muahaha:

[konstantgrdnr]

The Los Angeles Times had a panel of experts comment. The views and opinions are pretty insightful and make you understand the Politics that play out behind decisions. I will post two commentaries that i found with different angles.

The full article
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.co m/2009/09/13/decriminalizing-drugs-in-mexico/

What Decriminalization?
Jorge Castaneda

Jorge Castañeda is the Global Distinguished Professor of Politics and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at New York University. He was foreign minister of Mexico from 2000 to 2003.

The recently approved new “drug” law in Mexico is in fact not a step toward decriminalization, but rather toward mandatory sentencing. Until last month, possession of small (unspecified) amounts of drugs was not a criminal offense in Mexico; only the sale or purchase was. The new law establishes a minuscule limit on legal possession, meaning that today, almost anyone caught carrying any drug is subject to arrest, prosecution and jail.

If anything, the new law criminalizes drug use much more radically than before.

If anything, the new law criminalizes drug use much more radically than before, and it is probably for this reason that President Calderón signed it, and that the Obama administration has looked the other way. It will almost certainly not attract US “drug tourists” to Mexico, since the risk of being arrested for possession has grown considerably with the new law, whereas before, the real risk was just a shake-down by the authorities.

The law actually is part of a campaign to justify President Calderón’s war of choice on drugs by stating that drug consumption in Mexico has increased over the past 10 years. But the government’s own unpublished but leaked National Addiction Survey for 2008 shows that this is not the case. The growth of marijuana, heroin and metaphetamine consumption is flat in all categories (addiction, occasional use, at least once in a lifetime use), and while cocaine addiction, for example, did rise from 300 000 victims in 2002 to 450 000 in 2008 (a 50% increase, or roughly 6% per year), it did so from a tiny baseline, for a tiny percentage (0.4%) of Mexico’s population, a much smaller share than for the US, Western Europe and practically every country in Latin America.

Close

Mexico should move toward decriminalization, but it cannot do so if the United States does not. Among the many reasons is the so-called Zurich effect, i.e., what occurred in the Swiss city in the 80’s and 90’s when it was one of only a couple of European towns that had legalized virtually all drug use, and consequently attracted thousands of users from across Europe, eventually forcing the city to shut down its “needle park” and abrogate decriminalization.

If the current movement toward legalized medical use of marijuana and/or decriminalization prospers and expands in the U.S., Mexico will be able to move in the same direction, and perhaps reduce the tremendous cost the war on drugs is imposing on Mexican society, without any visible results or hope for success.



Fear-Mongering Is Unjustified
Ethan Nadelmann

Ethan Nadelmann is executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance.

The recent decriminalization of drug possession in Mexico is good for Mexico, good for the U.S., and consistent with the broader trend in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere.

The Jamaican drug tourism industry has nothing to fear from Mexico’s reform.

The new law eliminates criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs, authorizes treatment instead of incarceration for addicts, refrains from forcing “rehabilitation” on consumers who are not addicted, and legitimizes the ritual and cultural use of drugs like peyote. This should, in theory, result in fewer people being incarcerated for nothing more than drug use or possession, and allow police to focus on more serious crimes. Such reforms generally do not result in higher rates of drug use — at least that’s the evidence from other countries. And it will have no impact on President Calderon’s battle with the major drug trafficking organizations.

It’s hard to see the law encouraging “drug tourism” from the United States, and certainly nothing to compare with the “tourism” generated by Mexico’s lower drinking age and easy access to lower cost pharmaceutical drugs. Nothing in the law authorizes the creation of Dutch-like coffee shops selling marijuana openly. The Jamaican tourism industry has nothing to fear from Mexico’s reform. And Americans generally prefer the higher quality marijuana grown in our own country.

Why did the Obama administration refrain from criticizing the Mexican reform? Probably because it understands that it will have no impact on drug use or trafficking in the United States. But perhaps it also is coming to the conclusion that criminalization of drug possession typically does more harmthan good.

[chef]

Man, I've been under a rock all summer...

I'm shocked seeing some common sense in drug policy, way to go Mexico!

Might be time to take that bass fishin trip I've always dreamed about down there?

[MrMcBean]

This is some great news. In your Fin face drug policy! I wonder how long before LSD floods the US, then youll have 15 year old teenies jacked up on a trip roaming the streets just like here in Europe :D

[chef]

There has never been a shortage of anything in the US, at least on the west coast.

Speakin of trips, its about shroom season...