06.13.08
Argentina builds a new drug policy
From The Week:
Buenos Aires, Argentina: A young man charged with possession of marijuana was set free last week when a federal tribunal ruled that punishing people for using drugs is unconstitutional. It was the third such ruling in Argentina in recent months, as courts have moved to effectively decriminalize drug use. The Argentina legislature has been rewriting anti-drug laws to shift the focus from users to traffickers, but courts have been moving more swiftly. Anibal Fernandez, Argentina’s minister of justice, security, and health, said there was no reason to treat people who abuse marijuana and cocaine more severely than alcoholics, whose drug of choice is legal. “We have to stop being hypocrites,” he said.
