It seemed too good to be true, but President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the first woman president in the history of Argentina, had expressed on numerous occasions her intention to experiment with decriminalization. After five young men arrested for possession of small amounts of marijuana argued that their imprisonment was anti-constitutional, the high court decided in their favor, citing article 19 of the Argentine Constitution, which, similar to our constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness, states, The private actions of men which in no way offend public order or morality, nor injure a third party, are only reserved to God and are exempted from the authority of judges. It was a victory that, although it wouldn't actually change the law, laid the groundwork for higher courts to make the same decision. Then on August 25, the Supreme Court followed suit and handed down a ruling that declared, Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state, leading the way for Congress to amend current drug laws. Although other Latin American countries like Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Colombia have already decriminalized marijuana, only Argentina has decriminalized all drugs for personal use.
