LEGAL UPDATE
Future of Mexico's Drug Laws Uncertain
U. S. officials breathed a sigh of relief when Mexican President Vicente Fox announced his decision earlier this month not to sign a controversial drug decriminalization bill. His unexpected decision to send the bill back to Congress for changes came just a day after Fox's office announced that he would sign the bill into law.
The bill, which was approved by Mexico's Congress, allowed for the possession of up to five grams of marijuana, five grams of opium, 25 milligrams of heroin and 500 milligrams of cocaine. It also decriminalized the possession of limited quantities of other drugs, including LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, amphetamines and ecstasy.
Mexican officials had hoped that the law would help police focus on large-scale drug trafficking operations, rather than minor busts.
Currently, Mexican law allows judges, at their discretion, to drop charges if suspects can prove they are addicts and that the quantity they were caught with can be considered "for personal use," or if they are first-time offenders.
Under the new bill, decriminalization would have been automatic, allowing "consumers" as well as addicts to possess limited quantities of designated controlled substances.
While the bill has been sent back to Congress for changes, its exact fate is unknown. Mexico's Congress has adjourned for the summer, and with elections on July 2, there will be new members upon its return. Adding to the uncertainty, President Fox is barred from re-election when his term ends in December.
(Source: http://www.abcnews.com and http://www.latimes.com)
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