Pubdate: Sun, 21 Apr 2013
Source: Daily Independent (Ashland, KY)
Copyright: 2013 The Daily Independent, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.dailyindependent.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1573
Note: from the Associated Press

PUERTO RICO DEBATES LEGALIZING MARIJUANA USE

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Dozens of people marched Saturday through
Puerto Rico's capital amid growing support for a recent bill filed by
a former police chief that aims to legalize marijuana for personal
use, unleashing an unprecedented debate in this conservative U.S. territory.

The crowd marched to the seaside Capitol building, where Sen. Miguel
Pereira filed a bill this week stating it should be legal for those 21
and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. The former federal
prosecutor and corrections secretary said possession cases are costing
the government money, noting that 80 percent of inmates are serving
time for nonviolent crimes.

His comments have polarized the island, with some legislators
demanding his resignation.

"It's outrageous that someone who was elected by the people tries to
use his position to cause addiction, sicken and destroy Puerto Rican
society," Sen. Itzamar Pena said.

Critics say the proposal would further fuel violence on an island of
3.7 million people that reported a record 1,117 killings in 2011, with
police saying that 70 percent of killings are drug-related. Others
expressed concern that police, teachers and doctors would smoke while
working.

"This measure has to be studied extremely carefully," Sen. Jose Perez
Rosa said. "It's not like alcohol, where acceptable levels (of use)
exist."

Currently, those charged with marijuana possession can face up to
three years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Justice Secretary Luis Sanchez Betances did not say whether he favored
Pereira's measure, but he said the government should find alternatives
to the current law.

"This opens a public debate," he said.

Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla echoed a similar sentiment in a press
conference this week.

"I don't have a problem with an open debate about the possibilities,
benefits or drawbacks of such a measure," he said, adding that the
issue is not a priority for his administration.

Last year, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize
marijuana for those over 21. The law, however, bans the public use of
marijuana.

Puerto Rico joins a handful of other Caribbean islands, including
Jamaica and St. Lucia, where there has been a push to legalize
marijuana use.

In Jamaica, government officials previously reviewed recommendations
to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. The
proposal has the backing of several church leaders, but it has not
gained traction on an island that remains the Caribbean's largest pot
exporter to the U.S.

In St. Lucia, supporters also have spent more than a decade lobbying
the government without success to endorse a commercial hemp project.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D