|
Newsbrief:
Bulgarian
Reformers
Report
Tough
New
Law
Approved
3/26/04
The Bulgarian drug reform
group Promena (http://www.promena.org
for you readers of Cyrillic) reports that on March 16 the Bulgarian parliament
voted overwhelmingly for a law that would recriminalize the possession
of small amounts of controlled substances, including marijuana. Under
current law, Promena said, people arrested with small quantities of drugs
could avoid jail by undergoing drug treatment. Under the law passed
last week, possession of even small quantities of illicit drugs will bring
instead a 10-to-15 year prison sentence.
Promena has written to Bulgarian
President Georgy Parvanov to ask him to veto the bill, the group reported,
and will also notify the European parliament, which Bulgaria hopes to join
in 2007. The group said the bill was pushed through by a prominent
populist in the ruling party who appealed to older, low-income voters.
Promena reported "unusually intense and very negative" media reaction to
the move. "Never have so many people spoken out against prohibition
and never have they received so much attention by the media," said Promena.
The main victims, said Promena,
would be "the people between 18 and 28 who comprise 75% of the 'drug scene,'
as well as teenagers," while the main beneficiaries would be "the mafia
as drug prices will rise, the corrupt police and judiciary (revenue will
increase from both arrested users and protected drug dealers) and the proponents
of the law who will gain public esteem for fighting crime."
-- END --
|
Issue #330, 3/26/04
Canada Plans To Offer Medical Marijuana in BC Pharmacies, But Move Won't Heal Government Pot Program's Woes, Activists Say |
Peruvian Coca Growers Threaten National Strike as Deadline Looms |
Arkansas Medical Marijuana Initiative Moving After Okay Given on Ballot Wording |
Western Australia Marijuana Moves: Possession Now a Ticketable Offense, Hemp Bill Passes |
BUSTED Screening Events Scheduled! |
DRCNet StoptheDrugWar.org Merchandise Special Extended |
Newsbrief: Polls Show Close Race in Nevada |
Newsbrief: Justice Kennedy Denounces Harsh Sentencing -- Again |
Newsbrief: Bulgarian Reformers Report Tough New Law Approved |
Newsbrief: "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery Jailed in Saskatoon on Trafficking Charge |
Newsbrief: Bush Wants More US Troops, Civilian Contractors in Colombia |
Newsbrief: Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Dead in Oklahoma |
EU Think Tank Slams Global Drug Fight |
This Week in History |
Job Opportunity: Justice Policy Institute Hiring Media Director |
The Reformer's Calendar
|
This issue -- main page
This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
Chronicle archives
|
PERMISSION to reprint or
redistribute any or all of the contents of Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet is hereby
granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit and,
where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your
publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks
payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for
materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we
request notification for our records, including physical copies where
material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network,
P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202)
293-8344 (fax), e-mail [email protected]. Thank
you.
Articles of a purely
educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet
Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
|
