President to sign bill legalizing drugs

? President Vicente Fox within days will sign legislation that allows the personal use of cocaine, LSD, heroin and other drugs, his spokesman confirmed Tuesday, despite heavy criticism from the United States and within Mexico that the law will invite more problems than it intends to solve.

Supporters of the law say the concerns are overblown. The proposed law would allow people to possess small amounts of drugs for personal use, freeing authorities to turn their attention from small-time drug users to large drug traffickers.

The law would be among the most permissive in the world. Under it, people could possess 5 grams of opium, 25 milligrams of heroin, 500 milligrams of cocaine, 100 milligrams of amphetamines, 200 milligrams of methamphetamines, 0.015 milligrams of LSD and 5 grams of marijuana without facing legal sanction.