Venezuela Moving to Decriminalize Drug Possession

His supporters may be pretty thuggish towards their right-wing political opponents, but the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is apparently liberal on at least one score: decriminalization of drug possession.

Under the article, people caught with 'personal dose' or 'maintenance dose' amounts of illegal drugs will face no criminal sanction....
The proposed reform would also address penalties for drug trafficking and manufacture, creating a system of sentences based on weight rather than the current system, which subjects all trafficking and manufacturing crimes to the same harsh set of sentences.
Under the proposed new Article 383 of the penal code, 'A personal dose would be understood to be the quantity of the drug that does not exceed the average five-day personal consumption; and a maintenance (or supply) dose would be the quantity of the drug used by the average person (as determined by experts) for no more than 10 days.'