Argentina Decriminalizes Possession Of Drugs, Paves The Way For Us To Move There

In a recent and infinitely wise legislative decision by the Buenos Aires court, possession of “personal use” amounts of illegal substances is a right that is now protected under the Argentinean Constitution. Reading the court’s decision made us pull out our Limited-edition Evita bong:

Possession for personal use is protected by the Right to Privacy, which is the basis for all of our civil liberties. Far from being an illicit act, it is an act that is protected by an individual’s freedom, said Benjamín Sal Llargués, Carlos Natiello y Horacio Piombo.

According to the judges, the act of “criminalizing the harm that an individual might inflict on him or herself, in this case with the use of drugs, posits the State in a paternalistic and authoritarian role, which as a general rule goes against an individual’s freedom.” Which is a long way of saying that Argentina, with its approval of gay marriage, election of a female president, and now drug decriminalization is fast becoming the country that the United States will be when it grows up.

La Justicia argentina dice que el consumo personal de drogas es ahora un ‘ejercicio de la libertad‘ [Minuto Uno]