Mexico Marijuana and Drug Reform Bills Filed
"Lawmakers in Mexico City have filed two bills that would begin to radically transform the country's approach to drugs. One was introduced in the Mexico City legislative assembly and one in the federal legislature. The moves come as the debate over drug policy in general and marijuana in particular heats up in the region. The legalization of marijuana in Uruguay and the US states of Colorado and Washington has enlivened ongoing efforts at drug reform in Mexico, and the country continues to bleed from the violence associated with criminal organizations that rose to power on the back of drug prohibition. The Mexico City bill would de-emphasize small-time marijuana prosecutions. It would instruct police and judges to deprioritize prosecution of marijuana violations in some circumstances, and it would create a Portugal-style ""dissuasion commission"" which could impose administrative sanctions on offenders instead of subjecting them to the criminal process. The bill would also allow for the limited retail sales of marijuana in the Federal District. The federal bill would raise possession limits for the amount of drugs decriminalized under a 2009 law and would allow for the use of medical marijuana"