Vetoed drug bill sparks marijuana smoke-in, becomes political issue in Mexico

MEXICO CITY
Marijuana-puffing protesters - backed by a candidate in July's presidential election - held a smoke-in on the streets of Mexico's capital to show their support for a bill that would have eliminated criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs.

President Vicente Fox refused the sign the decriminalization bill, a move praised on Saturday by Mexico City's police chief but that drew criticism from some members of Congress who accused Fox of yielding to U.S. pressure to veto the legislation.

About 500 protesters held a marijuana smoke-in Saturday at a park in downtown Mexico City, where youths openly smoked joints and a heavy odour of marijuana hung in the air.

"Decriminalization does not create more users . . we have to decriminalize the discussion of decriminalization," said presidential candidate Patricia Mercado, of the small Alternative Social-Democratic party, during a visit to the smoke-in and protest.

Mercado, however, declined protesters' invitation to "Light up! Light up!" But she said she did support decriminalizing marijuana.

A half-dozen Mexico City police officers confronted the protesters, but the crowd thronged around them shouting "Take us all, Take us all!" and the police quickly retreated.

Possession of marijuana is currently a crime, punishable by 10 to 16 months in prison, unless a suspect can claim he is an addict or it is a first offence involving a small amount. However, few people are currently prosecuted under the law.

But the police chief of Mexico's capital - like Mercado, a leftist - said Saturday he supported Fox's decision not to sign the bill into law. The president sent the bill back to Congress, asking legislators to refashion it so that drug possession remains a criminal offence.

Police chief Joel Ortega said it would have made it harder for his officers to fight violent drug gangs.

"Imagine for a moment that we are doing a raid, we'd almost have to say, 'Let's see, gentlemen drug traffickers, allow me to weigh the drugs to see if we have the power to arrest you,"' Ortega told a news conference.

Conversely, many legislators - including members of Fox's conservative National Action party - supported the bill. They continued to defend it this week, and accused Fox of bowing to U.S. pressure.

"Unfortunately, very unfortunately, the president, under pressure from the United States, sent it back to Congress, saying it would 'regularize' drugs, which is not true," said Representative Marcela Gonzalez Salas, of the leftist Democratic Revolution party.

The measure would have dropped criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs. It also proposed rules on whether larger amounts of drugs could be seized by city police or federal agents, depending on the quantity.

Officials in Washington expressed concern that decriminalization would encourage "drug tourism" to Mexico and increase the amount of narcotics available in border cities. On Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack applauded Fox's decision not to sign it.

Under the proposed law, Mexicans would have legally been able to possess up to 25 milligrams of heroin, five grams of marijuana or 0.5 grams of cocaine.