XPost: alt.drugs.pot, alt.law-enforcement, alt.true-crime   
   XPost: rec.drugs.cannabis, uk.rec.drugs.cannabis   
   From: reality@check.it   
      
   > Argentina court ruling would allow personal use of pot   
   >   
   >  a.. NEW: Argentina court: It's unconstitutional to punish adult for   
   > private use of marijuana   
   >   
   >  b.. Justice tells state-run news agency "reality" changed his mind   
   >   
   >  c.. Mexico enacted law that decriminalizes possessing low quantities of   
   > most drugs   
   >   
   > By Arthur Brice   
   > CNN   
   > (CNN) -- Argentina's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday it is unconstitutional to   
   > punish an adult for private use of marijuana as long as it doesn't harm   
   > anyone else.   
   >   
   > The unanimous ruling makes Argentina the second Latin American country in   
   > the past four days to allow personal use of a formerly illegal drug.   
   >   
   > The case in question involved five young men who were arrested for having   
   > a few marijuana cigarettes in their pockets.   
   >   
   > Supreme Court Justice Carlos Fayt, who at one time supported laws that   
   > make personal use of marijuana illegal, told the state-run Telam news   
   > agency that "reality" changed his mind.   
   >   
   > Argentina's action came amid growing momentum in Latin America toward   
   > decriminalization of possessing small amounts of certain drugs.   
   >   
   > Mexico enacted a law Friday that decriminalizes possessing low quantities   
   > of most drugs, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine and LSD.   
   >   
   > Earlier this year, a Brazilian appeals court ruled that possession of   
   > drugs for personal use is not illegal.   
   >   
   > Analysts see the shift in attitude as recognition that current methods in   
   > the war on drugs are not working.   
   >   
   > "It seems quite clear that drug policy based primarily on interdiction and   
   > enforcement has failed," said Robert Pastor, a Latin America national   
   > security adviser for President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s. "Therefore,   
   > it's natural for people to stand back and ask, 'Is there a better way?' "   
   >   
   > Pastor noted that some recent research has shown that handling drug use as   
   > a health challenge and focusing on treatment may be more efficient.   
   >   
   > "What Argentina and Mexico are doing in many ways is blazing a new path,"   
   > Pastor said.   
   >   
   > Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue policy institute in   
   > Washington, sees a trend at work.   
   >   
   > "It's all part of a harm-reduction approach," Hakim said, noting that   
   > policymakers are shifting away from getting rid of drugs and toward   
   > figuring out how to reduce harm to users and society.   
   >   
   > Mexico has been considering decriminalization for several years,   
   > particularly under the administration of former President Vicente Fox, who   
   > held office from 2000-2006. But efforts by the Mexican congress toward   
   > decriminalization met with strong resistance from the administration of   
   > U.S. President George W. Bush.   
   >   
   > "Mexico tried it under Fox and the U.S. got so snippety that they had to   
   > back down," Hakim said.   
   >   
   > President Obama's inauguration in January may have changed the calculus,   
   > analysts said. The Mexican congress passed the measure in April and   
   > President Felipe Calderon quietly signed it into law.   
   >   
   > In a visit to the United States, Fox said in May a new approach is needed.   
   >   
   > "I believe it's time to open the debate over legalizing drugs," he told   
   > CNN. "It must be done in conjunction with the United States, but it is   
   > time to open the debate."   
   >   
   > Earlier this year, Fox's predecessor and two other former leaders of Latin   
   > American nations also called for the decriminalization of marijuana for   
   > personal use and a change in strategy in the war on drugs.   
   >   
   > The three ex-presidents were members of the 17-nation Latin American   
   > Commission on Drugs and Democracy, which issued its recommendations in   
   > February after studying the issue for a year.   
   >   
   > "The problem is that current policies are based on prejudices and fears   
   > and not on results," former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria said at a   
   > news conference in which the commission's recommendations were presented.   
   >   
   > Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil said the group called   
   > for only the decriminalization of marijuana and not other illicit drugs   
   > because "you have to start somewhere."   
   >   
   > Fox's predecessor, Ernesto Zedillo, was president of Mexico from 1994 to   
   > 2000. Gaviria was president of Colombia from 1990 to 1994. And Cardoso led   
   > Brazil from 1995 to 2002.   
   >   
   > In his swing through the United States, Fox said any change in drug laws   
   > must be accompanied by an education campaign in schools and homes. And   
   > because the United States is a large consumer of marijuana that comes from   
   > Latin America, any steps toward legalization must be supported in   
   > Washington, he said.   
   >   
   > Gaviria had said in February that the time was right to start a debate on   
   > the subject because of the new administration in Washington.   
   >   
   > "In many states in the United States, as is the case in California, they   
   > have begun to change federal policies with regard to tolerating marijuana   
   > for therapeutic purposes. And in Washington there's some consensus that   
   > the current policy is failing," Gaviria said.   
   >   
   > The Inter-American Dialogue's Hakim said one recent poll showed that 29   
   > percent of Americans think the best way to deal with marijuana is to   
   > legalize it.   
   >   
   > Pastor, the former Carter official, wondered whether anyone in Washington   
   > is paying attention.   
   >   
   > "The question," he said Tuesday, "is whether the United States will be   
   > open to this new path."   
   >   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)