Mexico's new drug decriminalization policy

(Originally posted at The Carpetbagger Report.)

This is somewhat startling news from Mexico:

Possessing marijuana, cocaine and even heroin will no longer be a crime in Mexico if the drugs are carried in small amounts for personal use, under legislation passed by Congress.

The measure given final passage by senators in a late night session on Thursday allows police to focus on their battle against major drug dealers, the government says, and President Vicente Fox is expected to sign it into law...

Under the legislation, police will not penalize people for possessing up to 5 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of opium, 25 milligrams of heroin or 500 milligrams of cocaine.

People caught with larger quantities of drugs will be treated as narcotics dealers and face increased jail terms under the plan.

The legal changes will also decriminalize the possession of limited quantities of other drugs, including LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, amphetamines and peyote — a psychotropic cactus found in Mexico's northern deserts.

The first thing that comes to mind is Steven Soderbergh's great film Traffic, particularly the yellow-tinted scenes in Mexico with Benicio del Toro. If this is Mexico's new reality-based policy — one that is sensible and humane rather than purely punitive — isn't it about time the U.S. rethink the whole "War on Drugs" approach (which has been an utter failure, has it not?) and consider alternative ways of dealing with drug use?

It seems to me that Mexico, which has been on the front line (and the front line) of the drug wars, is on the right track.