Mexico: Big Changes in Drug Laws for Personal Use Only

From CNN:

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Mexico's Congress on Friday approved a bill decriminalizing possession of small quantities of marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and even heroin for personal use, prompting U.S. criticism that the measure could harm anti-drug efforts.

The only step remaining was the signature of President Vicente Fox, whose office indicated he would sign the bill, which Mexican officials hope will allow police to focus on large-scale trafficking operations rather than minor drug busts.

"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.

Obviously, this is going to make American lawmakers go nuts because they reacted very strongly to Canada's change which only involves limited amounts of marijuana.

Personally, I would prefer a world in which all of us felt self-actualized and content enough with ourselves that no one ever felt the need to indulge in anything as self-destructive as regular tobacco/nicotine or alcohol consumption. I've never met anyone who was a better person, a better lover, a better worker, or more rational because he or she just snorted cocaine. I've had relatively little experience with anyone - to my knowledge - routinely using heroin, only some experience with people (none myself) with Ecstasy and a bit more with marijuana.

But whether I ever indulged or not - and I suspect my light experimentation days are long behind me; these days, I resent needing to take ibuprofen - I think there has to be a saner approach to the issue of drugs than the U.S. displays.

We've done enormous damage to individuals and to whole countries because of our schizophrenic drug policies. All the War on Drugs has done is cost us incredible amounts of money, resulted in an untold number of deaths and destruction of lives and families, and turned countries like Colombia into living nightmares.

We have so many more thousands of bigger problems than whether someone has a joint on a Saturday night or a consenting adult decides to swallow a tab of Ecstasy while out at a club. Enough is enough. If PhRMA were not so in control of our politicians and health care system and laws, we would have ditched this unwinnable war long ago.

It's time to stop this war and figure out a better way.