Party Time?

On Friday, August 21, possession of small amounts of recreational drugs was decriminalized in Mexico. People found holding under a legally specified amount of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, crack, methamphetamines, and LSD will not be subject to arrest and criminal prosecution, but instead will be advised to seek medical treatment.

Previously, persons arrested were subject to arrest and jail sentences, the threat of which often led to the bribing of police rather than prosecution, thus creating a gateway for police corruption.

In Mexico, anybody can be stopped by the police and be obliged to undergo a revisión precautiva (precautionary inspection), during which every pants pocket, bag, wallet, purse, sock, and shoe -- indeed, every bodily orifice can be searched for anything that might be illegal to possess. These searches can be done by any law enforcement official at their whim. This will not change because knives and weapons are still prohibited, as are larger amounts of drugs.

The amount of drugs that may be possessed is limited to five grams of pot, half a gram of coke, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams of methamphetamines, and 0.015 milligrams of LSD. The law goes into effect immediately.