Newsgroups: alt.drugs From: [catalyst remailer] at [netcom.com] Subject: Columbia Legalized Drugs !!!!! :-) :-) !!!!!! Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 20:54:24 -0700 BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- In a surprise ruling, a high court has legalized drug use in Colombia, the world's main supplier of cocaine and site of a drug war that has killed thousands of people. The ruling puts Colombia on a collision course with Washington, which has already accused the Bogota government of leniency toward drug traffickers and halted evidence-sharing in drug cases. The Constitutional Court ruling late Thursday legalized possession and use of small amounts of cocaine, marijuana, hashish and hallucinogens. The production, trafficking and sale of drugs remain illegal. The ruling angered President Cesar Gaviria, who called it ``absurd.'' But he responded defiantly when asked by reporters about reaction from Washington. ``I think that's irrelevant. It's an internal issue,'' Gaviria said. The Bogota government has grown increasingly defensive about what it considers Washington's meddling in Colombian affairs, and complains the United States has not done enough to halt U.S. drug consumption and money laundering. After the ruling, Constitutional Court President Carlos Arango told reporters the court ``does not judge laws based on the opinion of the United States.'' Earlier this year, prosecutor-general Gustavo de Greiff drew criticism from Washington by negotiating lenient sentences with drug traffickers and advocating legalization of the entire drug trade. ``I suffer from a rare illness of the spine which prevents me from bowing before the powerful,'' de Greiff told Congress this week. De Greiff led the battle against the Medellin cocaine cartel and its leader Pablo Escobar, who was slain by security forces Dec. 2. But Washington now accuses him of being lax with the less violent but more powerful Cali cocaine cartel. De Greiff advocates legalization and partial government control over the drug trade to lower prices and reduce its profitability. A handful of other countries, mostly in Europe, have decriminalized use of certain drugs or don't enforce laws against them. ``I'm all for it,'' said Margarita de Perdomo, owner of a dress shop that was reduced to rubble by a car bomb planted by the drug cartel 13 months ago. Eleven people were killed and 218 wounded in the attack. ``It's exactly like Prohibition in the United States. They legalized liquor and the mobsters got out of the business because it wasn't profitable anymore,'' she said. Gaviria, who was elected president after the candidate he served as campaign manager was assassinated by drug traffickers, firmly opposes legalization. He said he would examine whether the constitution should be rewritten to set limits on drug use and consider holding a national referendum on the issue.