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Geopolitics

Colombia Bill To Decriminalize Use Of Ecstasy, Other Synthetic Drugs

EL TIEMPO, SEMANA (Colombia) MILENIO (Mexico)

Worldcrunch

BOGOTÁ- Colombia's Justice Minister announced a government proposal to decriminalize personal use of synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and methamphetamines.

If the proposal, as laid out by Justice Minister Ruth Stella Correa this week, passes Congress, it will authorize the carrying and consumption of what are known to some as "designer drugs."

Currently in Colombia, possession of personal doses are authorized for cocaine and marijuana, with the maximum levels being one gram of cocaine or 20 grams of marijuana, according to Mexican newspaper Milenio.

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ecstasy capsules by Ray-dahn

Colombian weekly magazine, Semana, writes that Daniel Mejia, Director of the Centre for studies on security and drugs in the Andean University, backs the proposal. "It is important to anticipate and know that consumption and the phenomenon of synthetic drugs are growing," Mejia said.

Delia Hernández, spokesperson for the Addiction Association in the country, said education about drug must be expanded before the measure is implemented.

[rebelmouse-image 27086208 alt="""" original_size="320x240" expand=1]

Crystal Methamphetamine by Radspunk

According to El Tiempo, the new legislation will also include stiffer penalties related to drug trafficking, and crimes committed under the influence.

Consumption of the substances in public places will be strictly prohibited, although carrying them in public will not be writes El Tiempo. The proposition places an obligation on parents and guardians to protect children and adolescents from drugs, with risks of losing custody.

Penalties for traffickers will be increased for dealing near schools. These higher penalties would also be applied when the dealer is a person with influence over children, e.g. teachers. Students who are caught with drugs, or consuming them, could be expelled from the institutions.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Putin's Hidden Message In Dam Explosion: If Cornered, I Will Stop At Nothing

The Nova Kakhovka dam explosion was undoubtedly carried out by Putin, putting both Ukrainian and Russian lives at risk. The explosion makes clear that there no limits to how far Putin will go. That has been his message since Day One of the war.

Residents of occupied Ukrainian towns flee flooding from the Nova Kakhova Dam explosion

The Kherson region, where Ukraine retook several key towns and cities last November, is flooding as water levels on both banks of the river rose by 10 meters.

Twitter via Volodymyr Zelensky
Anna Akage

-OpEd-

Southern Ukraine is still reeling from the explosion at the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River. The surrounding Kherson region, where Ukraine retook several key towns and cities last November, is flooding as water levels on both banks of the river rose by 10 meters, forcing thousands of Ukrainians to evacuate.

The catastrophe may lead to the shutting down of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the nuclear reactors of which are cooled by water from the Dnipro.

With enormous consequences on a human, environmental and strategic levels, Kyiv and Moscow are blaming each other for the explosion. But it is simply unfathomable that Ukraine could be responsible for the attack — both, because it wouldn't make sense for Ukraine to attack its own people — and because the disaster is a major impediment from Kyiv's much-anticipated military counteroffensive.

Yes, the bombing of the dam was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to slow down his coming military losses. But there is another, deeper explanation for this attack at this moment in time: it's a clear message to the world that there are no limits to Putin’s aggression. Especially when his back is against the wall.

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