Marijuana use decriminalized
Author: Reuters, The Province (CN BC), 08-26-09

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentina's Supreme Court decriminalized the small-scale use of marijuana Tuesday, opening the way for a shift in the country's drug-fighting policies to focus on traffickers instead of users.

The high court ruled it unconstitutional to prosecute cases involving the private use of marijuana.

"Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state,'' the court's ruling said. It did not set a weight limit for what constitutes small-scale and the court said it was not decriminalizing all drug use.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Colombia and Mexico have already decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs and Brazil and Ecuador are looking at an initiative to legalize some drug use.

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