Recently Mexico relaxed a series of drug laws in hopes of easing the tension between the drug cartels and the government. Well, that move made a significant impact on the remainder of Latin America, and it appears that Argentina is following Mexico’s example with countries such as Brazil and Ecuador considering similar legislation.
From the Buenos Aires Herald:
In an eight-page writ unveiled today, the Supreme Court said it is unconstitutional to punish marijuana consumers, if that action does not harm third parties. The decision would put an end to a long-term debate, in which users had claimed that the incumbent drug law violated privacy rights.
However, the ruling of the Court would not mean a complete decriminalization of marijuana consumption as liberalizationists had expected, as the statement reached by an unanimous vote, specifies that only adults would be allowed to use marijuana as long as they do it in a private environment, and without affecting third parties.
The ruling also urged “all the state powers to implement a policies against the drug illegal trafficking and to adopt preventive health measures.” Congress is thus expected to introduce amendments to current drug laws, following the new guidelines set by the Court.
The government has backed the initiative to decriminalize drug consumers, as it would allow the government to focus its policies on drug trafficking networks instead of users. Cabinet Chief Aníbal Fernández said the decriminalization would allow users “to be treated as addicts instead of criminals.”
A good decision? Would similar laws be successful here in the United States?
- Marc
Personally I think the billions, upon billions spent in the almighty “Drug War” is an absurd waste of taxpayer dollars. It feeds a violent black-market and is simply ineffective.
That said, I think a “rehabilitation, not incarceration” approach is naive and brings important questions into play…These questions address Marc’s question in this post “Would similar laws work here?”
Well, to answer that…Are Americans content with spending ALOT of money on rehab programs for drug offenders ? I personally am not. I think it’s an immense of waste of money. Neither “rehab” nor incarceration will stop drug abuse.
I am okay with legalizing marijuana, but the people out there who content that ALL drugs should be legalized seem foolish to me. It could easily be argued that such sweeping change to our drug laws would legitimize people acting in a way that presents a clear and present danger to citizens around them. To me, it’s equal to legalizing the random firing of guns into the air in populated areas.
Given the corner I seem to have backed myself into, I’ll let others determine how best to address the ever-present problem of drug abuse on society.
Just a hypothetical here, but do you think that we’ll sort of be forced to follow suit now, as this obviously means we’ll be the only one’s spending money on it? Also, I wonder what impact this will have on trafficking into the US, as I assume the prices of the “product” also just bottomed out int he Latin American market…
I very much doubt any significant changes in drug laws will occur in the near future. That said, If Ahhhnold manages to decriminalize it in CA, it may spurn change.
The American populace is perfectly happy flushing billions down the toilet every year for other pointless reasons, why should this be any different ?
@Grumpy
– “I am okay with legalizing marijuana, but the people out there who content that ALL drugs should be legalized seem foolish to me. It could easily be argued that such sweeping change to our drug laws would legitimize people acting in a way that presents a clear and present danger to citizens around them. To me, it’s equal to legalizing the random firing of guns into the air in populated areas.”
Not even close. How many people out there do you think are just aching to get into a smack habit, but can’t because it’s illegal? It’s not as though you’d be unleashing something on the country that isn’t already happening – people who want to use harder drugs already use harder drugs. At least if they could buy them legally we would see a sharp decrease in their cost and thus a sharp decrease in violent crimes and theft. We’d see far fewer people ever venturing into the realm of illegal activity (aside from speeding) as well, a definite benefit in my opinion.
I wanted to address the points made by Paul on this week’s Mero Moment about there being no such thing as a victimless crime.
I understand the relationship of cause and effect in this world and can see, therefore, that nothing we do can really ever be completely without an effect on the world around us. The idea, however, that we should attempt to control people’s intimate behavior in the name of prevention leaves a bad taste in my mouth, especially when it’s done in such an arbitrary and unprincipled way.
Besides, it’s an unavoidable fact of life that free people have to deal with a vast, uncontrollable world that is filled with other free people. I see no problem with utilizing the law to find justice between people that do actual harm to others and their victims, but how can you reasonably punish anyone for harm that hasn’t been done, especially when there is no ill intent?
@MichaelR
The idea of shrugging my shoulders and saying “C’est la vie” with respect to letting heroine users simply roaming around disgusts me. Certainly hard drug users will use regardless of the law, but that doesn’t give us the green light to unleash them, and their dangerous behavior on society. By your logic DUI laws should be abolished.
@Grumpy
– “Certainly hard drug users will use regardless of the law, but that doesn’t give us the green light to unleash them, and their dangerous behavior on society.”
If the drug laws are not a leash, eliminating those laws wouldn’t be unleashing anything.
– “By your logic DUI laws should be abolished.”
Far from it – driving impaired is comparable to your earlier example of firing guns into the sky randomly in a populated area. The difference is that a person can shoot up in their home or some other safe place and never hurt anyone.
“At least if they could buy them legally we would see a sharp decrease in their cost”
Wouldn’t this, be definition, make them more accessible and more prone to experimentation?
@Cameron
Not historically.
@Cameron
“I’ve got five bucks – should I get the burger combo? Maybe the chicken nuggets combo… Nah, I think I’ll try booting black tar heroin in stead.”
Snark aside, illegal drugs do not equal chicken nuggets. You aren’t comparing the choice between buying nuggets at $5 and drugs at $5. You’re comparing demand between drugs at whatever high cost they are now to the new $5 cost. At such a lower price point, wouldn’t demand increase?
Only if we’re assuming that there are a whole lot of folks out there that are already doing those drugs that can’t get them because the price is too high. Trouble is, those people usually get there hands on the drugs anyway, typically by doing whatever it takes to get the money to buy them. In that case, I suppose we may see the same people doing more of their drug of choice, but we’d also cut out the crime.