Judge Rules Law Criminalizing Simple Possession of Marijuana Unconstitutional Aristegui Noticias
go to original November 22, 2015

In an unprecedented ruling last week, a federal judge in the state of Yucatan decriminalized possession of marijuana in excess of the maximum amount permitted by law for personal consumption, the newspaper Reforma reported.

Christian Gonzalez Segovia, a Judge in the Second Specialized District for the new accusatory penal system in Yucatán, ruled that the criminal offense of simple possession of marijuana is unconstitutional, and he canceled the trial of an individual who was arrested with 15.7 grams [.55 oz] of the herb. This amount is slightly more than triple the 5 grams [.18 oz] that can be held without penalty, based on the Table of Maximum Personal Dose Possessed for Consumption under the General Health Law.

The decision, saved the accused from a sentence of 10 months to 3 years in prison and a fine of up to 80 days of the minimum wage [about US$400], sanctions established under Article 477 of the Act.

In a statement, the Council of the Federal Judiciary announced that the judge concluded that the law, which makes the simple possession of marijuana [in excess of 5 grams] a criminal offense, was unconstitutional and incompatible with the American Convention on Human Rights.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

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Mexico Voices is a blogging endeavor aimed at raising the awareness of U.S. citizens regarding the destructive impact of the U.S. economic policy and the War on Drugs on Mexico — on its people, their economic and physical security and their human rights, on the nation’s dysfunctional justice system, and on the rule of law and Mexico’s fragile democracy. Visit the website at MexicoVoices.blogspot.mx

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