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Venezuela Decriminalizes Drug Possession

pescao | 19.01.2004 05:35 | Venezuela | Globalisation | Health

speaks for itself... viva chavez!

 http://www.bigleftoutside.com/archives/000313.php

January 15, 2004

Venezuela Decriminalizes Drug Possession

Today's neo-libertarians, if they truly believe what they claim to believe about freedom, really need to take a second look at Venezuela and it's president Hugo Chávez.

The democratically-elected government of Venezuela has survived attempted coups - military, economic, and mediatic - and keeps moving forward with the most sweeping reforms and advances in democracy and human rights in the hemisphere today.

The latest: a reform of the penal code that, while increasing penalties for drug traffickers like every other country, has just decriminalized possession. According to the oligarch's daily El Universal, which leads its report in a panic over the reform's simultaneous legalization of abortion and euthanasia, here's what the new law does for drug users:

"As personal dose for consumption, the (allowable) quantity of the drug substance is extended to that which is necessary for average individual consumption for no more than five days; and as a provisional dose, the quantity of the substance that is employed for average individual consumption (according to forensics experts) for no more than ten days."

In sum, the drug addict or user no longer faces prison or penalty in Venezuela if he possesses small amounts of his drug of choice (specifically mentioned by the law are marijuana, hashish, cocaine and its derivatives, opium and its derivatives, and synthetic drugs).

This is truly revolutionary. How and why did it happen? This giant step for drug policy reform and human freedom in this hemisphere happened because Venezuelan democracy was defended and US-backed coups were defeated. This historic development is a discrediting knockout blow to all the hysterical accusers who claimed that the government of Hugo Chávez would somehow become "authoritarian" simply because he and the Venezuelan majority don't agree that "the market" should govern their land.

The vestiges of McCarthyism or "Fear of a Red Planet" appeared in recent years even from some quarters that claim they want to liberalize drug laws. Our own newspaper, Narco News, took heat and sustained hard hits over the past two years in particular for our strong defense of Venezuelan democracy. "But that has nothing to do with drug policy," the fearful voices accused.

Today, you can see the whole truth, kind reader. Fear no more. In January 2004, Venezuela decriminalized the drug user and the small doses he possesses. And if the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela sustains the inevitable backlash from Washington that will now come for daring to exercise its democratic will to increase human freedom, you will soon see other Latin American nations follow suit. Ecuador had already done it quietly (reported only by Narco News ), but Venezuela's action, because of the size and influence of the country and its economy, and the context of its role in the current American drama, now provides cover for Brazil, Argentina, and the rest of the continent to do the same.

To those of you who wisely understood this connection between defending democracy in Latin America and reforming the insane war on drugs, and who raised your voices across the world to prevent the coups d'etat, this is your victory, too. Congratulations, remain vigilant, apply for your copublisher account to amplify your voice across the continents, and onward...

Update: This story is already having an impact in Brazil, a country where the Health Ministry, the Attorney General, the top Public Safety Secretary, and the President, Lula da Silva, all want to decriminalize drug users, too. Reporting from São Paulo, Ana Cernov took the initiative to translate this report of ours to Português today. I'll post that version in the "extended entry" slot, here, so it's available online. Muito bom.



Venezuela descriminaliza a posse de drogas

15 de janeiro, 2004
Por favor, faça circular

Caro Colega,

O novo modelo de jornalismo participativo do Narco News deve surgir em breve. Enquanto isso, aqui vai um furo de reportagem, que foi postado no meu blog:

 http://www.bigleftoutside.com/archives/000313.php

Os neo-libertários de hoje, se acreditam realmente no que dizem sobre liberdade, precisam prestar atenção à Venezuela e a seu Presidente Hugo Chavéz.

O governo democraticamente eleito da Venezuela sobreviveu a tentativas de golpes - militares, econômicos e midiáticos - e continua indo em frente com as reformas mais inovadoras para a democracia e os direitos humanos no hemisfério todo. A última: a reforma do código penal que, como em todos os países aumentou as penas para os traficantes de drogas, descriminalizou a posse delas.

De acordo com o periódico da oligarquia El Universal, que direciona suas reportagens para o pânico em relação à legalização, que ocorreu simultaneamente à legalização do aborto e a eutanásia, esta é a nova lei para os usuários:

"Como dose pessoal para o consumo, a quantidade (permitida) de substâncias ilegais pode alcançar o necessário para o consumo médio individual por não mais que 5 dias; e como dose temporária, a quantidade de substância não pode ultrapassar a dose média individual (de acordo com a polícia forense) para até 10 dias."

Em suma, o viciado em drogas ou usuário não necessitará enfrentar prisões ou penas na Venezuela se tiver posse de pequenas quantidades de sua substância escolhida (especificamente mencionadas na lei estão: maconha, haxixe, cocaína e seus derivados, ópio e seus derivados e drogas sintéticas).

Isto é realmente revolucionário. Como e por que isso aconteceu? Este passo gigante para o movimento de reforma das políticas de drogas e para a liberdade do ser humano no hemisfério foi dado porque a democracia venezuelana foi defendida e os golpes apoiados pelos Estados Unidos derrotados. Este fato histórico é um tapa na cara de todos aqueles acusadores histéricos que afirmaram que o governo de Hugo Chavéz se tornaria "autoritário" simplesmente porque ele e a maioria do povo venezuelano não concorda que o "mercado" deva governar suas terras.

Os vestígios do McCarthismo ou "medo de um planeta vermelho" apareceu nos últimos anos mesmo em alguns setores que querem a liberalização das drogas. Nosso informativo, Narco News, recebeu muita pressão e teve que lidar com muitos golpes nos dois últimos anos, em particular em nossa defesa clara da democracia venezuelana. "Mas não há relação alguma com a política de drogas", acusaram algumas vozes temerosas.

Hoje toda a verdade foi revelada, caro leitor. Não tema. Em janeiro de 2004, a Venezuela descriminalizou o usuário de drogas e a posse de pequenas doses. E se a República Bolivariana da Venezuela sustenta o inevitável revide que logo virá de Washington, pela ousadia de exercitar suas vontades democráticas a fim de aumentar a liberdade dos seres humanos, você verá que outros países latino-americanos a seguirão. O Equador já o fez em silêncio (conforme reportagem do Narco News -  http://www.narconews.com/Issue29/article703.html ), mas a ação venezuelana, em razão do tamanho e influência política e econômica do país, e seu contexto no atual drama americano, agora fornece cobertura para que Brasil, Argentina, e o resto do continente façam o mesmo.

Para todos os que compreenderam esta conexão entre a defesa da democracia na América Latina e a reforma nesta insana Guerra às Drogas, e que levantaram suas vozes pelo mundo para prevenir os golpes de Estado, esta é uma vitória sua também. Parabéns, permaneça alerta, inscreva-se para uma conta de co-editor para ampliar o espectro de alcance da sua voz pelos continentes, e além...

Inscreva-se para sua conta de co-editor do Narco News na página:  http://www.narconews.com/copublisher/application.php

De algum lugar no país chamado América,

Al Giordano
Editor
Narco News Bulletin
 http://www.narconews.com/

O Narco News é apoiado pelo:
The Fund for Authentic Journalism
P.O. Box 71051 Madison Heights, MI
48071 USA
 http://www.authenticjournalism.org

O fundo recebe doações online na página:
 http://www.authenticjournalism.org

Inscreva-se para sua conta de co-editor do Narco News:  http://www.narconews.com/copublisher/application.php

Subscribe for free alerts of new reports:
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Suscríbete gratis para alertas de nuevos reportajes en español:
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pescao

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  1. Agreed — Krop
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