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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Pot action: Nation by nation
thonline.com Thursday 20 Feb 2014 Here's a look at how some countries are rethinking their approach to marijuana. ARGENTINA Personal possession of controlled substances has been decriminalized, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling in 2009. Lawmakers have been working to amend the law since then, with proposals ranging from simple decriminalization to a complete overhaul of drug laws. BRAZIL Brazil doesn't punish personal drug use, but trafficking or transporting small amounts of controlled substances is a criminal offense, punishable by drug abuse education or community service. Some advocates worry the law isn't clear about how much constitutes personal possession, and that can leave it up to a judge's discretion about whether someone should be punished. In November, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso joined former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in calling for the decriminalization of all drugs. GUATEMALA Otto Perez Molina, the president of the hard-hit cocaine-transit country, took the floor at the U.N. last fall to join a growing chorus of nations calling the drug war a failed strategy. He announced that his country would study different approaches and praised the "visionary" experiments in Washington and Colorado. Currently, prison terms of four months to two years can be imposed for the possession of drugs for personal use. JAMAICA The island nation is a primary source of marijuana in the Caribbean. Possession remains illegal and can result in mandated treatment or rehabilitation, though usually the defendant just pays a small fine. Nevertheless, many young men wind up with criminal records that affect their employment options, and recent changes in the U.S. and Uruguay have given momentum to activists who hope to see marijuana decriminalization approved soon. MEXICO In Mexico, where tens of thousands have been killed in drug war violence in recent years, there is no general push to legalize or regulate marijuana for recreational use. In 2009, the country decided not to prosecute people for possessing small amounts of drugs. Legislators in more liberal Mexico City, however, are planning to pitch a further loosening of pot laws by increasing those limits. MOROCCO Morocco is one of the world's leading hashish producers. Cannabis was legal to grow as late as the 1950s by order of the king. Two leading political parties want to re-legalize its cultivation for medical and industrial uses, with the goal of helping small farmers who survive on the crop but live at the mercy of drug lords and police attempts to eradicate it. NETHERLANDS The Netherlands has long had some of the most liberal cannabis laws. Hoping to keep pot users away from dealers of harder drugs, the country in the late 1970s began allowing "coffee shops" to sell marijuana, which remains technically illegal. Since 2012, the federal government has clamped down, briefly requiring people to obtain a "weed pass" to buy cannabis and banning sales to tourists. Some cities, including Amsterdam, have declined to ban sales to tourists, however, and mayors of 35 cities have banded together to call for the legalization of marijuana growing. URUGUAY In December, Uruguay became the first nation to approve marijuana legalization and regulation. President Jose Mujica said his goal is to drive drug traffickers out of the dope business and reduce consumption by creating a safe, legal and transparent environment in which the state closely monitors every aspect of marijuana use. http://www.thonline.com/news/national_world/article_8cb7fa69-f2b5-5d98-ad98-0e8dc55a786b.html
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