quote:

Argentina's Supreme Court decriminalized the small-scale use of marijuana on Tuesday (August 25), opening the way for a shift in the country's drug-fighting policies to focus on traffickers instead of users. The high court ruled it unconstitutional to prosecute cases involving the private use of marijuana, saying that that, "Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state." It did not set a weight limit for what constitutes small-scale. "For 23 years I have been punishing 1/8marijuana use 3/8. Journalist asking: What made you change your mind? The reality," Supreme Court Justice Carlos Fayt said before the court ruling. Social groups in favor of the decriminalization of personal cannabis use said the ruling was a step in the right direction but hoped it will lead to further developments in favor of people who grow the drug for their own use. Sebastian Basalo is the editor of THC, a magazine about cannabis use that has an estimated 100,000 readers in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. He told Reuters that he is not in favor of drug trafficking, but that people who smoke marijuana should not be treated like criminals. "This is not an advance. It is a place to start from: to be decriminalizing people that consume 1/8marijuana 3/8 means that you are just starting to think about the consumer as someone that has rights. 1/8That person 3/8 could have problems with their consumption and if eventually they have problems you have to start talking about specialized treatments, but it shouldn't start with a policeman arresting them. Instead it should be a doctor offering them treatment," Basalo said. The ruling drew criticism however from Argentine officials in the Roman Catholic Church and families of drug users who worry it will lead to increased drug trafficking. Argentina, whose population is less than a quarter that of Brazil, is Latin America's biggest cocaine user and has similar levels of marijuana use as western and central Europe, according to the United Nations' latest World Drug Report. In the slums surrounding the capital Buenos Aires, residents blame a crack-like drug called paco, made for cocaine lab leftovers, for fueling crime, violence and desperation. Claudio Izaguirre, director of the non-governmental organization called the Argentine Antidrugs Association: "What is going to happen is there will be an increase in the drug trade and the people that fall into addiction will not, unfortunately, access treatment. And in a few years we are going to have 20 percent or 30 percent of the population in some areas walking through the streets with schizophrenia. This is what is going to happen in my country, because my country doesn't have the necessary health coverage for what will happen," Izaguirre said.

http://www.timesnow.tv/Personal-marijuana-use-decriminalized-by-Argentina/articleshow/4325739.cms

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The Democratic Party

Last edited by thedoggyworld on Sep-01-2009 at 06:28

great news, i'll be in Buenos Aires in november

With more countries coming out with decriminalization laws for marijuana, I hope it puts pressure on the U.S. to enact similar laws as well. Let's not go against the grain for once, damnit.

quote:

Originally posted by tathi great news, i'll be in Buenos Aires in november

Me Too!!

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edit sig- image needs to be resized

The Last Sunday @ Ladida coming soon....

quote:

Originally posted by Zharen With more countries coming out with decriminalization laws for marijuana, I hope it puts pressure on the U.S. to enact similar laws as well. Let's not go against the grain for once, damnit.

Ah utopia

After the resistance to health care reforms I have absolutely no hope for pot decriminalization from this administration.

Keep it on the books and visit Canada, Argentina, Mexico, The Netherlands etc. etc. etc. often

They have prostitution there

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The Democratic Party

Actually, here in NL, they're looking to scale down the coffeeshops and access to pot. Along the border with Belgium, municipalities have ordered shops to close due to "drug tourism".

They're also talking about shops only being allowed to sell to residents all over the country.

This will only drive the trade underground and allow the criminal element to flourish.

I read something last year that said the chief of national police was against this policy of regression on the pot laws. Sadly, I think he'll be overruled by the gov't and the various mayors involved.

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Paul

^^^

Any idea why?

Yup, prostitution is legal in some places, as it should be. Even far right economist Milton Freidman agrees

quote:

Originally posted by atbell ^^^ Any idea why? Yup, prostitution is legal in some places, as it should be. Even far right economist Milton Freidman agrees

that's pretty obvious for anyone who has been to NL. Drug tourists are a seedy bunch. I wouldn't want them hanging out near where i live. At the end of the day if residents put pressure on the politicians something will happen. most likely, residents of these places are complaining about fucked up seedy characters from the US, UK, Italy, etc... visiting their neighborhoods. While Amsterdam seems like a nice little city, the scores of dodgy people I saw while i was there and the smell of weed at every corner was a huge turn off.

Living here, it's not really a free for all of messy sketchy people. Sure, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in the Red Light District (which is only a couple blocks big) gets a little loud, but that's where all the tourists go.

If you're not right in the centre like that, you barely notice.

Sure there are tons of coffeeshops in other neighborhoods, but they just have local dudes chillin in them.

If there's anything that gets obnoxious, it's the really drunk people (Brits usually - sorry).

As for the reasoning behind them wanting to close down a bunch of the shops etc., there's a right-wing coalition gov't right now that's quite conservative. I think they're also getting a lot of pressure for EU neighbors as well.

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Paul