In March, the Chilean government reclassified marijuana as a Class One dangerous drug, grouping it along with methamphetamine and heroin as a narcotic substance capable of producing physical or psychological dependency and health problems. Now, that move is being challenged by at least one senator, who is demanding that the government produce the scientific rationale for the rescheduling.

[inline:nelsonavila.jpg align=left caption="Nelson Ávila"]With marijuana now classified as Class One, said María Teresa Chadwick, director of the National Council of Drug Control (CONACE), judges will not be able to reduce marijuana sales charges, and trafficking even small amounts of the weed will now result in jail sentences of between 1 ½ and five years.

"This responds to the fact that the drug is not harmless. One-third of the 7,000 people treated (each year) come in for marijuana abuse," Chadwick told the Santiago Times in March. The new penalty also addresses the increase of marijuana use in Chile. According to the latest study by CONACE, 7% of Chileans used the drug in 2006, up from 5.3% in 2004.

"The drug causes neurotoxic affects. We see young people with neurological atrophy, with aging minds," said Dr. Rolando Chandía, director of the Alfa Addictions Clinic, adding that he had seen cases of psychosis among young people using "indoor-grown marijuana, a stronger cannabis cultivated with fluorescent lighting."

But Tuesday, after he met with the Interior Ministry to demand an explanation for the reclassification decision, Radical Party Sen. Nelson Ávila said it was "absolutely absurd" to include marijuana in the same class as heroin or meth. "My suspicion is that this decision was adopted without any scientific or technical foundation," Ávila told the Valparaiso Times. "This decision reflects a sensation of neurosis and it is marked by nothing more than prejudices."

Ávila delivered an official petition to Interior Minister Edmundo Pérez Yoma requesting the evidence that was the basis for the reclassification decision. Ávila said it would take time for the ministry to gather the information, but in the meantime he was preparing to introduce a measure condemning the reclassification.

"When the government turns over the report, I plan on fully analyzing the information. At that point, I will make my point of view known," Ávila said. "If I do not agree (with the government decision), then I would propose the creation of an independent organization at the legislative level to investigate this issue. This body would also identify and punish any government members who backed the change without the corresponding scientific data," he said.