Out of the blue (at least to me), the BBC reports:
The supreme court in Argentina has ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish people for using marijuana for personal consumption.
…
The Argentine court ruled that: “Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state.”Supreme Court President Ricardo Lorenzetti said private behaviour was legal, “as long as it doesn’t constitute clear danger”.
“The state cannot establish morality,” he said.
…
It also marks a shift a dramatic regional shift to the decades-old US-backed policy of running repressive military-style wars on the drug trade, she adds.
Read the whole story here.
"Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state."
This should be obvious, particularly to Americans, due to the language in our constitution and declaration of independence. The fact that this concept is controversial in the "land of the free" is baffling.
Thanks, Dave. I wanted to highlight that line but couldn't figure out how to do so without sounding preachy or dorky.
I'm glad you picked it on up! The concept sounds so American in spirit, and yet…
Time to move to Argentina.