Want To Do Drugs? Go To Mexico

A bill (with the president's signature pending) will be passed in Mexico which will allow people to possess small amounts of "drugs." I use that term very vaguely, because we're not just talking ganja. It also includes the likes of cocaine and heroin, amongst others. The reason behind it? So that those who are not a danger to society (smaller amounts) aren't sent to jail and they can then concentrate on the true dangers to their country in the drug trade.

I've always been curious on how this would work or wouldn't work, so I'm kind of glad that someone is giving it a try and I'm also glad that we're not the first country to experiment with this. It's a shame that they've included most all drugs in their bill, though, because the only drug I can see being legalized in the US is marijuana. I highly doubt we're going to have debates legalizing heroin anytime soon. It would've been nice to know how the legalization of small amounts of marijuana in a country went over, so we could then potentially learn from them and through that, make a better, more thought out decision on whether or not to legalize herb. But, with all the other drugs being legalized as well, it'll be difficult to decipher how just one drug (marijuana) would have affected the country. Although, if all the drugs combined don't seem to have a negative impact, then, in that scenario, I can't see how politicians could point and say, "See? Marijuana can't be legalized, because, well, all these other drugs became legal in Mexico and nothing happened. But, further studies suggest that the legalization of marijuana in that country was far more dangerous and deadly than cocaine or heroin." Yeah, I can't see that happening, although, you never know with the politicians we have.

I've always wondered what the effects would be if all drugs were made legal. The war on drugs will never be won and although, I think Mexico may have gone a bit overboard in legalizing all these drugs, I can understand their reasoning. I'm curious on how soon we can learn about the impacts of the legalization of drugs or if the only truly accurate way to go about it would be through a longitudinal study.

There will be many more catch phrases in Mexico now. "Don't drink and drive" is getting a little old. In Mexico, it can now be, "Don't snort and drive" or "Tourniquets and needles are not recommended on the highway." They could even post signs up on the roads, with a red line going through a picture of a car, needle, and tourniquet. Instead of plain rest stops, they could have drug stops. When a cop pulls someone over, he could ask, "What's that on your face? Have you been snorting son?" Instead of the sobriety test, they'd have to think up something else. If the person had just tripped with LSD, the cop could ask, "So, tell me, what do you see right now?" Ahh, so many possibilities.

So, to conclude, be smart with these legalizations, because the opportunity may not come again if you blow it this time. Also, enjoy them at home, don't snort and drive, and don't trip and drive.