Uruguay Votes To Legalise Marijuana Sales
Please note that we are not authorised to provide any investment advice. The content on this page is for information purposes only.
Uruguay’s lower House of Representative on Wednesday voted to approve a controversial bill which would – for the first time – put a government in charge of the production, distribution and sale of legal marijuana.
Under the bill, which still has to be approved by the Senate, only the government would assume “the control and regulation of the importation, exportation, plantation, cultivation, the harvest, the production, the acquisition, the storage, the commercialisation and the distribution of cannabis and its by-products”.
Uruguay’s lower House of Representative on Wednesday voted to approve a controversial bill which would – for the first time – put a government in charge of the production, distribution and sale of legal marijuana.
Under the bill, which still has to be approved by the Senate, only the government would assume “the control and regulation of the importation, exportation, plantation, cultivation, the harvest, the production, the acquisition, the storage, the commercialisation and the distribution of cannabis and its by-products”.
Registered buyers over the age of 18 would be able to purchase up to 40g of marijuana from specially licensed pharmacies, or grow up to six plants at home. To avoid making the country a drug tourism destination, only Uruguayans would be allowed to use marijuana.
The controversial bill, approved by 50 of the 96 lawmakers following an intense 14-hour debate, was unveiled last year by Defence Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro who argued that “the prohibition of certain drugs is creating more problems for society than the drugs themselves … with disastrous consequences”.
Legislators in the ruling coalition said putting the government at the centre of a legal marijuana industry could possibly displace illegal dealers, saving money and lives, and aid the global war against drugs.
Related: Mexico’s Economic Risks: Will Ending Cartel Violence Prove An Impossible Task?
Related: Spanish Town Wants To Grow Marijuana To Pay Off Debt
Related: To Claim Unemployment Benefit, You May First Have To Do A Drug Test
Lawmakers also hope to eliminate a legal contradiction in Uruguay, where possession of marijuana for personal use is permitted but it remains illegal to sell it, buy it, or to possess the plant.
The Senate is expected to vote on the measure backed by leftist President Jose Mujica later this year.
Under Mujica, a qualified doctor and an outspoken former guerrilla, Uruguay has emerged as a laboratory for socially liberal policies. A small nation of 3.4 million people, the country has also enacted a groundbreaking abortion rights law, legalise same-sex marriage and is seeking to become a centre for renewable energy ventures.
“This is a very innovative bill, with the state deciding to regulate the entire chain of production, distribution and access to the substance,” said Laura Blanco, president of Uruguay’s Cannabis Studies Association, adding that the bill sends an “encouraging” signal to other Latin American nations, as political leaders in parts of the region debate whether to follow Uruguay’s example.
However, a survey released this week showed that 63 percent of people in Uruguay oppose the government proposal.
Opposition lawmaker Gerardo Amarilla said the government was underestimating the risk of marijuana, which he called a “gateway drug” for other chemical addictions that foster violent crimes.
“Ninety-eight percent of those who are today destroying themselves with base cocaine began with marijuana,” Amarilla said. “I believe that we’re risking too much. I have a feeling we’re playing with fire.”
Related: High Hopes: Does Legalised Marijuana Have A Future?
Related: Fake Highs, Real Risks: The Dangers of “Legal” Synthetic Drugs
