Mexico May Allow Some Cocaine, Heroin Use

Mexicans would be allowed to possess small amounts of cocaine, heroin, even ecstasy for their personal use under a bill approved by lawmakers that some worry could prove to be a lure to young Americans.

The bill now only needs President Vicente Fox's signature to become law and that does not appear to be an obstacle. His office said that decriminalizing drugs will free up police to focus on major dealers.

"This law gives police and prosecutors better legal tools to combat drug crimes that do so much damage to our youth and children," said Fox's spokesman, Ruben Aguilar.

Ok I don't get how legalizing drugs will help the authoritites .

"This law gives police and prosecutors better legal tools to combat drug crimes that do so much damage to our youth and children,"

Yea.. giving kids the chance to do drugs will combat drug crimes now isnt that a bit stupid

 

No, no hint of a kickback there...the entire judicial committee of Mexico has the IQ of a houseplant.

On a positive note, the sequel to Dazed and Confused can be filmed there and come in way under budget.

 

the mexican govt doesnt exactly have major funding they cant afford to stop every person carrying drugs, if they focus on the roots ie the dealers higher up the chain it will have a greater effect on the level of drugs the enter the streets!

 

Arresting a person for something as trivial as a small amount of marijuana possession is time consuming and costly.... I can't testify as to what goes on in Mexico but use the U.S. as an example... You arrest someone for possession of a small amount of marijuana. You have to take the person down to the station for booking, get them processed, and then write up a report of the arrest and fill out the necessary paperwork.... Even a minor arrest is time consuming for police officers and the courts... There will be a trial and then the arresting officer will have to come testify... The more time spent processing a person for a minor offense, the less time and manpower out in the field going after the more important criminals who commit much greater offenses...

The Mexican authorities probably feel that their courts & police officers spent a great deal of time and money processing people for what they feel are relatively minor & unimportant offenses.... If you eliminate the number of people getting arrested for possessing small quantities of drugs, it allows the police to focus their time and resources on the bigger fish....

Makes a lot of sense to me.... Would be blasphemy in American Politics if a politician ever suggested something like that (even decriminalization marijuana).... We've still got the head of the DOJ calling pot the greatest threat to the country among all ouf the narcotics out there....

Complete rubbish

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs3/3300/marijuan.htm

 

Doesn't Canada turn a blind eye to people smoking dope on the streets?

There are even shops and organisations that sell the stuff like tobacco?

 

It's not complete rubbish.

The quality of marijuana has dramatically improved over the last few decades.

It's now hydroponic, is much more potent, and contains far more of the active ingredient "THC".

There are also studies that link it to mental illness, and some that link it as a stepping stone to far stronger and more damaging drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.


And just because something is trivial, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be enforced.

 

to call pot a 'stepping stone drug' is like saying that 1/2 a glass of lager leeds to alcoholism.

as far as it leading to mental illness, i worked for years in that field and in my not so humble opinion, that is complete rot. what i can testify to is that some people that ALREADY have an illness can 'flip' using pot. however those people (mostly we are talking schizophrenia or hyper-mania) are usually not taking their meds, are 'self medicating' with drugs and alcohol, and are at the point where it is difficult to pin point cause and effect.

and yes the quality is stronger now....which generally means one smokes less.

 

one arguement is that the same person selling pot is also selling heroin,

so if you legalize pot that user is not exposed to heroin. works for me.

 

Don't be so quick to buy into the few and var between studies that claim to link marijuana to being a 'gateway drug' and link it to 'mental illness'.... These studies time and time again fail to account for many factors that explain the so called "correlations".....

--------------------------------------------

There are so many myths perpetuated by the government about marijuana use it's unreal....

As for the studies linking it to mental illness.... Many of them fail to account for the fact that people who are predisposed to mental illness choose to self medicate with various intoxicants.... Should it come as a surprise that aside from alcohol, marijuana is the most widely available drug on the list? Does that fact that they utilize marijuana to self medicate at an early stage of their "mental illness" mean the drug itself caused the onset of that mental illness? There are also many compounding variables that are not controlled in such studies.... Many studies develop correlations but fail to prove causation with any scientific validity.... There are also problems with defining what exactly constitutes 'mental illness'.... If you choose to include or exclude specific types of conditions that may or may not belong under the 'mental illness' classfication, you can skew your results dramatically....

 

if they legalize pot......(and i pray this happens before i die!) a great many pharmaceuticals would lose money. given the alternative, pot make a good muscle relaxant, anti-emetic (stuff that stops you throwing up), tranquellizer, painkiller (may be down to its relaxant qualities - not sure of its analgesic properties).

in a day when so many people are on prozac that it has now reached the water table, when 1/2 of american children appear to be on ritalin, i find it difficult, nay impossible, to percive marjuana as ANY threat to society. (personnally i think its god gift, but thats just me ) the drugs we need to be looking at, the 'dealers' we need to be investigating, the addictions that are the killers, all have nothing to do with pot, or for the most part, illigal drugs in general, regardless of their strength. (IMHO)

drug related crimes can, for the most part, be viewed as crimes of definition. (this one is ok....this one is not....). it is beyond logic. decriminalizing would take a tremendous strain off the legal services, freeing our forces to pursue more important issues (say....terrorism...or...murder)

lastly, it is a crop that could replace the agriculture in this part of the world. which can only be good for moi.

 

The best article to date that I have read on the subject of debunking myths perpetuated by the government about marijuana exists here

 

By far the worst drug I've ever had experience with was Oxycontin... That was prescribed to me by my Orthopedic Surgeon who performed a spinal fusion on my back in the Summer of 2003.... I was on the drug for 3 months and my Doctor did litttle to warm me of the addiction my body would develop to the powerful drug.... I weened down to much smaller doses of the drug as I was supposed to and when I stopped taking the pills, cold turkey, I experienced the most miserable 4-5 weeks of my life.....

Being fairly young (24), and having just gone thru college, I can't tell you how many youths and adults out there are abusing FDA approved drugs that are commonly available to the general public.... They mostly crush them up and snort them....

 

wow. thank-you, that was intrestng. i forgot all about its appitite stimulent qualities.....now whats in that fridge..

 

I have an good recipe for you....

Club Crackers, Boards Head Horseradish Mustard, & slices of Extra Sharp Cheddar Chease.... quick, easy, and tastey!

 

You didn't mention how inhaling smoke, which is very hot (even if the bong has cold water in it), contains more carcinogens than cigarettes, and the smoke is held in the lungs for much longer.

So don't make out that it's completely harmless.

In some people, it can cause schizophrenia (yes some individuals can be more prone to it, but it can still be the trigger that might not ever happen otherwise).

And in others, it can lead to harder drugs.

That's proven by the number of heroin and crack addicts who say they first used alcohol or dope.

Some can also become withdrawn, and suffer from mood and personality disorders.


I'm not against it, and rarely have the odd one every now and then, but to say it's completely harmless is rot.

 

I agree. Opiates are very addictive, and for long term users, impossible to go off cold turkey.

The withdrawals are agony and near impossible to bear, and can last for many months.

Only by weaning yourself, or using other medications, can you get off them.


You were lucky you were only on them for 3 months.

People who take high doses for years, become very addicted and reliant on them, and find it almost impossible to kick the habit.

 

Yeah....

I started off on 240 mg a day (120 mg every 12 hours, 3 - 40 mg pills every 12 hours).... I weened down to 40 mg a day....

The worst was trying to sleep at night.... You are absolutely restless... Imaging tossing and turning for hours on end trying to get comfortable.... I remember my legs being so uncomfortable.... They didn't ache, but it was impossible to relax them.... It's like you have the covers on and then you're too hot, you take the covers off, and then you're cold.... Took me forever to get over it and there were nights where you are so tired and just can't sleep, and then you get tired of not being able to sleep.... Some nights I just wanted to get up and take another painkiller so that I could fall asleep.... I'm smarter than that though and never succumbed....

and regards to marijuana... I know it's not good for you and not harmless... My issues were with that DOJ report that labeled it as the single greatest threat among all narcotics....

Drugs such as heroin, cocaine/crack, methamphetamine... They are much more destructive... People commit violent offenses to feed these addictions.... How the Government can label marijuana as the 'greatest threat" and overlook meth, which is the fastest growing drug in America, one that can be manufactured with everyday household items... A drug that takes over people's lives, destroys their brains, and leads them to poverty.... How they overlooked that is mind blowing..... There's little doubt that politics and hidden agendas fuel certain reports, not reality.....

From what I've read, the U.S. Government spends approximately $4 billion a year trying to enforce marijuana laws.... They fail miserabely each year and incarcerate millions of people who are of little to no threat to anyone else or to society as a whole.... The policy fails, wastes money and government resources, and tarnishes peoples' lives and their reputations.... The number of users has never decreased and it won't.... The whole effort has been a failure and they need to focus their efforts and resources on more important and pressing concerns.... Imagine $4 billion more to pursue methamphetamine manufacturing, or $4 billion more on anti-terrorism efforts?

In the public eye, marijuana is becoming more and more socially acceptable... Eventually people will think of it on the same level as alcohol... However the government will still probably treat it like it's the DEVIL....

 

Pot is a stepping stone!
Alcoholism starts with one sip!

Humm, Another reason to close the Border

 

People w/ addictions lack self control...

What's a recreational activity for one person can be a life altering & impeding behavior for another....

 

I think he was being facetious, Laurie.

Maybe, maybe not.

 

I think drug addictions are more related to social circles than addictive personalities,people just do what everyone else is doing,in my circle of friends growing up there was always weed,ecstacy,meth amphet floating around,never coke or heroin,coke was aways too expensive and heroin was a big no,no,guys who were even suspected of taking heroin no one went near,theres a huge stigma attached to the drug where I live,which keeps everyone away from it.

just about everyone I know has smoked weed at some point and none of them take drugs of any kind now,apart from BEER! Eventually everyone grows up,gets girlfriends,babies,houses,old ties are lost ect and everyone moves on,for me to go round a friends house now smoke some weed and listen to music I'd feel like an idiot and be bored stupid.

Not that I ever did http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/Rikky_/bigemo_harabe_net-03.gif

 

The Canadian Government was dealing with the issue of medical marijuana and decided to grow their own product. They grew a low grade weed. Many patients abandoned the government weed for the local dealer's because it wasn't strong enough and they had to smoke a lot of it for any effect. Strange the government would think that way when one of their concerns with medical marijuana is the inhaling of the smoke.

 

This story is related to the biggest risk of marijuana use. Many years ago a friend gave me a cutting off a plant that he couldn't use for his grow-op that he had at the time. I put it in the front window of the trailer I lived in then, and it grew into a beautiful, massive plant. One day I was having a nap when my wife (maybe girlfriend then) game running down the hall yelling, "Simon, get up, the police just pulled onto the lawn!" I jumped out of bed, ran to the living room, picked up this huge plant and ran back down the hall with it. Halfway down the hall, I stopped and thought to myself, "Where am I going with this thing?" "The police obviously know it's here, and it's way too big to flush." So I took it back to the living room and awaited my fate. The doorbell rang and there was a friend who worked at the Ford dealer in town. He was repairing the cop car and decided to play a joke on me by road testing it onto my front lawn. I can't describe the relief I felt, and I don't think I've ever laughed so hard.

 

Sibeer I see you live in BC.

*drools*

 

No one said that.

What we're saying is that it can be a problem, or a stepping stone for some people.

You merely write that off, say it's rot, and that it's a perfectly safe herb that should be legalised.


You don't have to be a doctor to know that hot carcinogenic smoke (and most mix tobacco with it anyway) held in your lungs harms you.

 

What's kinda odd is that in North America, it's not popular that people mix it with tobacco... That seems to be most popular over in Europe....

 

I disagree with the point its a stepping stone to stronger things,like I said everyone I know has tried it,been through that "phase" as a kid,even my parents and family ect"60's children,free love man" ,if you compare the amount of people who have tried once "most of the population" or used cannabis over a duration and not gone on to have a drug addiction problem to the amount of people who have,the ones who havnt will far outweigh the ones who have,which points to other reasons for people using harder more addictive drugs

Most people have drank strong coffee ejoyed the caffeine rush,smoked and enjoyed the satisfaction,been drunk and had fun,if the stepping stone argument were true,then all these should also be classed so,indeed anything that provides plaesure,the only reason cannabis has been singled out IMHO is because it isnt legal,this is probably due "in the UK at least" to the difficulty of putting tax on a plant that can grow so abundantly "one of the toughest plants out there",ATM no one can be bothered brewing up their own beer,it takes too long,takes up too much space and is too much work and is tricky,someone could grow a years supply of cannabis in the space of a few months with only minimal planting area,cost and work, people would stop drinking,taxes go up,government gets voted out

 

Good point Rikky....

-----------------------

In the grand scheme of things... The 2 most deadliest substances, tobacco (cancer) and alcohol (prostate cancer, drunk-driving related deaths, etc) are LEGAL.... Go figure.....

 

Yeah, I like it here.

 

How cold does it get in the Winter, in Farenheit? How much snow?

Whenever I think of BC I think of really really cold winters.....

 

That's one I'm really cautious with. Cancer in the bones can be VERY painful, and my oncologist will prescribe whatever it takes to kill the pain. So far, the strongest I've taken is Oxycodone (5 mg oxycontin and 325 mg of tylenol, 2 every 4 hours max), which is pretty mild compared to what you used, but I even leave those alone except for the worst nights when needed to sleep, and haven't needed those since starting the chemo 6 weeks ago. Eventually I may be stuck taking strong pain-killers, but I won't until I absolutely have to. But in my case, if it gets that bad, I won't be worrying about withdrawal.

I do believe that pot can be a "gateway" drug, but not for biological reasons. Deciding to do something that is illegal can, for some, erode their moral sense of right & wrong, and cause them to have less respect for the law in general. It can then become easier to break other laws, or try other drugs, or whatever. And yes, usually the guy that sells them pot will happily sell them something stronger. He may even encourage it with free samples. And while pot is not strongly addictive, some of the stronger stuff can be VERY quickly physically addictive. Experimenting stupidly gets some people in deep trouble. Obviously not everybody, but definitely some.

But then, respect for the law is much less in fashion currently than it was in earlier generations. (shrug)

 

Always enjoy your input Gary.....

You should watch Montel... He will recommend you a little something-something to help w/ the ill-effects of chemo.

 

So far the "ill effects" have been mostly extreme tiredness. Cured by sleep. Plus hair falling out, and I don't think Montel has a cure for that.

Just this week, I have a tingling in my fingers that may be early sign of neurological damage (will be talking to the oncologist about THAT this Thursday). And no, pot won't cure that either.

If I have trouble with appetite or keeping food down, doc can prescribe Maranol, which has the goodies from marijuana without either the legal hazards or the carcinogins, or the moral dilemma of supporting drug dealers that shoot each other and random bystanders. And my insurance will pay for that. This whole discussion about "medical marijuana" is mostly bogus.

 

well it helped me. i too have chronic pain, and i too have been through the painkiller mill. i was never even close to getting addicted to them for a number of reasons. first, and i think formost, is the fact that i dont like the effect they have on my mental state. each time i was operated on i weened myself off the strong stuff very quickly. one of the reasons i was able to do that is because pot was so effective at not only relaxing the amount of pain i was in, but also the stress and depression caused by it. i dont know how you can describe these arguements and others like it, as 'bogus'. do you think we are all lying? or do you think that the prescribed pharmaceuticals (sp?) are some how less dangerous and/or addictive?

 

There are many people using medical marijuana that have never used the drug recreationally... Montel has them on his show all the time to testify about their illnesses and their experiences w/ the drug and its effectiveness & impact on their lives....

Marinol has it's pros and cons, but reportedly does not have the same affect and provide the same level of relief as other means of ingestion....

Marinol vs. Natural Cannibis

If medicinal marijuana really was bogus I really don't understand how 9 states could pass medical marijuana legislation, given the strict nature of our country's drug laws and the "get tough" stance on drugs we've adopted towards the end of the 20th Century....

New England Journal Of Medicine: Federal Foolishness and Marijuana


I think it's funny how the FDA will approve the administering of cannabis related drugs in other forms as long as it's not smoked... They'll approve a pill form, testing of a spray form, but when it comes to smoking the drug, no no....

The FDA must be concerned about the carcinogens Big tobacco companies? No problem.... Smoked or vaporized cannabis? "We're lookin' out for you!"....

 

http://users.lycaeum.org/~sky/data/grow/c2.html

Hope this puts that argument to bed ,the constuent of cannabis are quite complex and we still dont know much about them,wonder why,an abundantly available non addictive painkiller which alot of people report is better than prescription medication,which drug company will want you to use that?

Its generally considered by the medical community that we are crap at long term chemical pain relief,the only option we have at present is to prescribe an opiode,there have been strides to reduce the negative side effects of opiode but with every attempt the painkilling effect is also reduced,one I have had experience with 'dont ask what for ' is tramadol hydrochloride a synthetic anagesic,I used this after dextropropoxaphine was banned in the uk which in my opinion was far superior to the former,with no side effects unlike the latter 'which my chemist also agreed with' the basic problem is opiodes release dopamine and endorpines,which are the bodys natural painkiller and reward centre 'although its much more complex and even less understood' and what drives us to repeat an experience,its what released after sex,a cigarette,any activity we enjoy doing which makes us do it again,puts us in a state of contentment and hightens memory so we remember the experience,next time you lean over to your hubby at night and they say they love you respond "And I really love the dopmine and endorphines you make my brain release " Take away the addiction and you take away the main painkilling effect,

My personal experience with cannabis was the psycoactive igredients were much more powerul that any pain relief,which I dont like,as the link I posted shows though depending on the ingredients the effects may vary

 

Who says it's not addictive?

It might not be physically, but it's certainly psychologically addictive, which is just as bad if not more chronic.

As far as requiring it for pain relief, a lot of countries allow you to grow and consume your own plants, so all legalising it is going to do is add another drug that's not fully understood to an already full list.


There may be a strong argument for decriminalising it, but certainly not for legalising it.

 

Why isnt pain relief as a whole not addictive?Who doesnt like not being in pain,you wanna be out of pain as often as possible

Physical addiction is the need to do it again to subside withdrawal efects,addiction in the fact you wanna do it again i.e is pleasurable experience,for this argument I'm gonna use the definition of an psycological addiction of non physically addictive substance,eg food

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

If the user doesnt show obvious physical problem that outweigh the painkilling effect of the drug,"doing something knowing its bad for you" which in my book is what constitutes addiction,then I dont see it as addiction,I agree mate more research needs to be done,but this should also be said for all drugs,how long is long term anyhow and how much constitutes enough?

The medical institute always use the term "we dont know the long term side effects of a said drug" well we dont fully understand the long term side effects of opiodes and all drugs it doesnt stop them being used,one very bad long term effect is the dose has to be increase dramatically over time which lead to many other chemical overdose problems,we do know the short term, physical addiction,which leads to withdrawal and everything that comes with that with normal use you also gets these,nausea,itching,loss of libido,constipation,ect non of which are apparent with dope,but the ofcourse the painkilling effects are much less powerfull

 

LOL, I Lived in BC(british Columbia) in North Vancouver and SaltSpring Island for most of my life. In Celcius 0 degrees is freezing level. Living on the coast I truely believe that I could count the days of snow on my fingers and toes. LOL, the good old saying on the coast of BC is..."you don't tan you rust"
Two years straight we did not see any snow at all. The rest it was gone in a day or two. Of course there is always the freak year that gives a whole five days of snow and deep, but that is because it's warm and the snow flakes are the size of quarters!
Just because BC is in Canada, doesn't mean it's a winter wonderland....Maryland gets much colder!!
Dont forget BC is under Alaska!

Now if we were talkin Saskatewan....Now that....Is a frozen wasteland
PS. even in the BC mountains it doesnt stay cold that long.....grass doesn't get much of a chance to die. Its by far the warmest of all canadian provinces.

 

Oh and zero Celcius is equal to about 31 Farenheit. BC's coast hovers in the winter at about 40 - 55 Feranheit. The palm tree's don't grow naturally, but the ones that are planted prosper just fine

 

The first WMD attack that occurs within the continental U.S,

I'm headin for British Columbia.... The "all of Canada is cold" myth seems to constantly be refuted by eye witness accounts.... I'm no longer a believer of that misconception.

 

Great point Rikky.... The FDA & powerful Pharmaceutical companies are never going to advocate anything they can't profit from.... As long as it's illegal, they will probably never recognize the drug, in raw form, as an effective treatment for anything, despite a plethora of medical research indicating otherwise.... Probably explains why the only forms of cannabis they will advocate is the ones they have to process into other forms before distribution(hence profitting from)....

Amazing how the politics of the medical industry can stand in the way of getting in some cases the best medicine to the right patients in need....

 

Sorry Laurie. I should have said a waste of time, not bogus. Marijuana DOES help some people. But, even though a few states have passed laws allowing medical marijuana, federal law still classifies it as illegal, and even in the states that have passed those laws, some have gone to jail thanks to the feds. It is NOT a settled issue, even in those states, and in NO state is it allowed for recreation.

And I've worked for the last 19 years in the aviation industry, which requires mandatory drug testing, again by federal law. Where I'm working now, I've seen the head of the IT department, the office manager, one other department manager, and several in sales (plus I have no idea how many in the shop and warehouse) fired for failing the drug tests. Would have happened even if this were a "medical marijuana" friendly state. And yes, we can be fired for coming in drunk too. The FAA is NOT drug tolerant, even of booze. I don't see the Feds ever legalizing pot, even for medical reasons, and certainly not for recreation. It will continue to be illegal, it will continue to jeopardize my career if I take it for any reason, and it will not in the forseeable future be accepted by the Fed, which overides the states whenever it feels like it or notices it.

As long as it's illegal, I won't use it, regardless. If I don't like the law, I push the politicians to change them. But I don't knowingly break laws. Other than modestly "breaking" the speed limits, rather than getting run over by traffic, and I haven't had a speeding ticket since 1980.

Whatever good or bad marijuana is, and there is some of BOTH in it, it's illegal. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, respect for the law is a dying virtue.

 

thankyou for the apology GT, you are a scholar and a gentleman.

 

Thanks for clarifying GT....

Alaska has the most lenient drug laws w/ regards to marijuana... While they haven't made it legal, they have decriminalized it to a large extent....

There is no penalty (no jail time or fine) for possessing less than 4 ounces of the plant in your residence for any use, recreational or medicinal....

 

Whether it has medicinal benefits or not, and it's obvious it does, that doesn't mean it should be legalised.

I can't see any benefit to legalising it, apart from government taxes.

 

Another benefit would be freeing up time, money, and manpower for the police & courts to focus on more important matters and the more destructive drugs (cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine)....

U.S. Courts are overburdened and the Prisons & Jails are overflowing.... Huge problem right now.... Thank the "Get Tough On Drugs" approach in the 80's for that.... 5 grams of crack got you 5 years in jail.... Didn't curb drug use one bit...

 

You can use that argument for anything.

Going after fine defaulters, or enforcing no littering costs money.

That doesn't mean it should be allowed.


Most countries that have turned a blind eye to marijuana, or legalised it, like the Netherlands and Canada etc, haven't benefited from it, in fact quite the opposite.