World News

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Brazil decriminalized marijuana for personal use on Wednesday, making the nation of 203 million the largest to take such a measure and the latest sign of a growing global acceptance of the drug.

Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that Brazilians could possess up to 40 grams of cannabis — roughly enough for 80 joints — without facing penalties, a decision that would take effect within days and stand for the next 18 months.

Many more countries have decriminalized marijuana, meaning they abolished criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of the drug, though it technically remains illegal and authorities still target traffickers.

He was sentenced to two months of community service, but his lawyer appealed, arguing that punishing drug users violated Brazil’s Constitution.

In the ruling, Chief Justice Luís Roberto Barroso said the decision does not condone marijuana use but rather recognized failed drug policies, which have led to the mass incarceration of poor youth, pushing many of them into organized crime.

“Skin color counts when it comes to how drug law is applied,” said Cristiano Maronna, director of Justa, a research group that investigates the Brazilian justice system.

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