BRASILIA: Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that purchasing and possessing up to 40 grams of marijuana for personal use will no longer be a crime, though police can still seize the drug. Marijuana continues to be illegal in Brazil and its use in public places will still be prohibited. But a person caught using marijuana and possessing up to 40 grams – roughly enough for 80 joints – will not receive a criminal record and will just appear before a judge to hear a warning on the drug’s dangers, it ruled.Police will, however be able to arrest a person caught selling marijuana even if it is less than 40 grams, when there are clear signs of intent to sell it, the justices decided.
The verdict makes the nation of 203 million the largest to take such a measure and the latest sign of a growing global acceptance of the drug. More than 20 countries have now decriminalised or legalised recreational use of marijuana, most in Europe and the Americas.
The SC said its guidelines on private use of marijuana will stand until Congress passes legislation. Conservatives in Brazil’s Congress are pushing a bill that would modify the constitution to criminalise any possession of marijuana. If lawmakers pass such a legislation, it would take precedence over the ruling but still can be challenged on constitutional grounds.
The verdict makes the nation of 203 million the largest to take such a measure and the latest sign of a growing global acceptance of the drug. More than 20 countries have now decriminalised or legalised recreational use of marijuana, most in Europe and the Americas.
The SC said its guidelines on private use of marijuana will stand until Congress passes legislation. Conservatives in Brazil’s Congress are pushing a bill that would modify the constitution to criminalise any possession of marijuana. If lawmakers pass such a legislation, it would take precedence over the ruling but still can be challenged on constitutional grounds.
