New Mexican drug law draws tourism concerns
Tourism officials are worried that Mexico’s looming decriminalization of drugs will attract visitors seeking to bypass US drug laws.
Mexican President Vincente Fox has yet to sign the bill but his office has praised it in the past.
“Mexican and US government officials insist that the bill eliminates legal hurdles to prosecuting drug crimes large and small,” wrote the Associated Press. ”But it also lays out specific amounts of drugs — including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and Ecstasy — that can be legally possessed for personal use.”
The new bill drops the current Mexican law requirement to prosecute “addicts” and allows consumers to have certain amounts of drugs, presumably in quantities for their own use.
The bill stiffens penalties for trafficking drugs.
A former Pentagon anti-drug official, Ana Maria Salazar, was quoted as saying the law will make it much easier to convict street-corner drug pushers. It will also make it harder to bribe judges and prosecutors who now have discretion in deciding the quantity of drugs allowed for personal use.
As for tourists using drugs, she said:
“All of those who think this legalizes drugs in Mexico….not only are they wrong, but they are going to get in a lot of trouble if they come here and try to use drugs.”
Report by David Wilkening
David
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