Prosecution for the possession of illegal drugs would become less harsh in Venezuela under a proposal made by the government of President Hugo Chavez last week. According to El Universal, an opposition newspaper published in the capital city of Caracas, drug users could possess up to ten days worth of a drug(s) without criminal penalty under the proposed law. Those who possess additional amounts would be presumed to be drug traffickers and would receive harsh jail sentences of up to twenty years and be forced to pay “tributary units” - a sliding-scale fine based on income that is tied to Venezuela’s Consumer Price Index. In order to become law, the Chavez government’s proposal, which is part of a larger penal reform effort, must first clear the nation’s high court and then pass in an assembly dominated by the opposition.