MEXICO WORKS ON LANGUAGE OF NEW DRUG LAW

Legislation approved by the Mexican Senate regarding personal drug
use is being met with strong reactions from the United States nationally.

At the local level, many officials say they will take a "wait and see"
approach.

Wait and See

Copley News Service reported that the bill, which passed the Mexican
Senate 53-26 last Friday, April 28, would permit the possession of
small quantities of narcotics without criminal prosecution. The
measure is waiting to be signed by President Vicente Fox, whose office
had indicated that he will sign the proposed legislation.

Fearing that such legislation could send the message that Mexico is
softening its stance against drugs, U.S. officials met with
representatives of the Fox government in Washington on Monday and
"urged them to clarify the law so it would not make it attractive to
those who would go to Mexico to use drugs," said Judith Bryan, press
secretary for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Sen. Jorge Zermeno, a member of Fox's National Action Party and who
heads the Senate's justice committee, said the new bill is aimed at
clarifying possession for personal use while at the same time cracking
down on small-time dealers.

"The controversy," he said, "boils down to one word, 'user.' What
generated all this confusion and what distorted the fundamental
objective of the law was that the legislators added the word 'user.'
We are going to present a modification to this reform to eliminate the
confusion.

"Now it looks to everyone like we are legalizing (drugs), that we are
authorizing people to carry these quantities of drugs because they are
users. We have to eliminate the word 'user' so that only those people
who can show that they have an addiction, who have a medical
prescription, can possess these quantities," Copley News reported.

Advance in Efforts

Public Security Minister Eduardo Medina-Mora told Copley that the law
"constitutes an indisputable advance in the efforts of the Mexican
government to fight small-scale trafficking and drug addiction."

Small-scale trafficking is now one of the biggest threats to public
security, he said. Mexico's youths and children are consuming drugs at
an alarming pace, with per-capita use growing at an annual rate of 20
percent over the past 10 years.

The current criminal code allows judges to waive jail time for people
who can prove they are addicts and possess drugs "for personal use."
But the law does not specify the amount of drugs a person can carry,
placing the decision in the hands of police and prosecutors.

New Authoruty

The bill also gives new authority to local and state law enforcement
to arrest drug dealers. Currently, only federal law enforcement can
arrest people on drug charges.

Being next door to Mexico, this legislation could have a major impact
on the residents of Nogales and Santa Cruz County, but Nogales Police
Chief John Kissinger does not think that will be the case.

"Well," he said, "historically we know that drugs are usually
accessible by crossing the border. Having a change in the law, I'm not
real sure how that will affect the availability of drugs. The bill
talks about decriminalization, but that does not mean there are going
to be a dug stand set up on the street corners.

"There is no clear answer if they (drugs) will be any more accessible
and that affects use. What I would do is warn any youth of the dangers
of consuming drugs anywhere, south or north of the border. The Nogales
Police Department does not have the solution to all drug problems, but
I wouldn't panic or worry too much about this."

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said that he recognizes some of
Mexico's needs.

"Obviously they're recognizing they have a very serious problem over
there. There are a lot of drug related offenses being committed. I'm
sure among other things, this is they're attempt to try and ease of
their jail population."

Estrada said that law enforcement on both sides of the border have
worked to combat the problem of underage drinking and that should
someone cross the border "impaired," by any drug they will face
consequences.

"I don't know that there will be an increase in problems," he said,
"but if we find this is another challenge spilling over the border,
we'll prepare ourselves for it."

Local responses from the county's educational districts have also been
reserved.

Guillermo Zamudio, superintendent for Nogales Unified School District
No. 1, said that he does not believe the proposed legislation is a
reason to over-react or make any premature changes within the school
system.

"Well obviously we will operate the same here, students have to abide
by our laws in the U.S.," he said. "Obviously, we have no jurisdiction
over them when the students are in Mexico, but if we see that a
problem is developing, we takes steps to address it. I don't think it
will affect us much."

Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District No. 35 Superintendent Dan
Fontes added, "My feeling is that drugs are already so readily
available to anyone of our teen-agers. They can get a hold of any
drugs they want to on the Mexican side, so I don't think the issue of
decriminalization will affect us."

Fontes said that good strategies for combating teen drug use remain
the same regardless of changes in Mexican drug law. "Beyond that," he
said, "the issue is parental oversight. Where are your kids? As an
educator I can tell you that we really have to hit them hard with drug
education."

The Cross Roads Nogales Rescue Mission located near the border on
Morley Avenue is often home to the homeless and recovering. The
mission's assistant director, Bert Wenke, says she thinks reducing
drug restrictions in Mexico will have an adverse effect.

"I think it going to bring us more drug abusers looking for help," she
said. "They'll get tired of taking whatever they're taking then they
walk in here and say they want to get straightened out. The majority
of people who come here for drug recovery are young, in their 20s and
30s.

"If they start taking them when they're 16, I'll probably see them by
the time they're 20 here at the mission. I think this will make our
problems worse. I'm worried about it."

Still Too Early

Another health official, Dina Sanchez, assistant administrator for
Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital, said that she does not know what
impact, if any, the change in Mexican legislation will have. "I think
it's too early to tell what ramifications we'll face here being a
border community."

Mexican officials do not believe the proposed legislation will attract
drug users to Mexico. Copley News Service quotes Medina-Mora as
insisting that Mexico will not become a playground for the
international drug users. "They will not find in our county a paradise
for illegal activities," he said. "Mexico is not, has not been, and
will not be a refuge for anybody who wants to come to our county to
consume drugs."