Uruguay poised to become first country to legalize marijuana

NEW DELHI: Uruguay is poised to become the first country in the world to legalize marijuana (cannabis).Last week, a bill was introduced in the General Assembly to legally permit marijuana cultivation and consumption within certain limits. The bill will be voted on in the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) in the coming weeks and if passed would then be voted on by the upper house (Chamber of Senators) early next year.

The Uruguayan move comes close on the heels of marijuana legalization in two states of the US - Washington and Colorado on Nov.6 this year. The use of cannabis and other drugs is already legal in Uruguay, one of Latin America's safest countries and a trailblazer on liberal lawmaking, but the sale and cultivation of drugs is not.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, a former leftist guerrilla, had announced the proposal in June but the first draft required the state to be the sole provider of marijuana. This has now changed in the bill introduced in the Assembly. After a long consultative process with international experts, the bill now allows for home cultivation of up to six plants and membership clubs with a maximum of 15 members per club. The threshold quantity for personal consumption is 40 grams (around 1.5 ounces) of marijuana. Clubs will be allowed cultivation of up to 90 plants and annual production of up to 7.2 kilograms.

Mujica's allies control both houses of Congress so the bill is expected to pass despite resistance from opposition legislators. It would give Uruguay some of the world's most permissive legislation on drugs, Reuters said.

The bill directs the establishment of the National Institute of Cannabis, charged with licensing producers, authorizing home cultivation, and maintaining a registry of growers and membership clubs, among other responsibilities. The bill also includes regulatory restrictions such as banning any type of advertising; maintaining sentences of 20 months to 10 years in prison for those violating the law by planting without authorization or illegally importing, exporting, trafficking, storing or selling marijuana; and ensuring that all unauthorized cultivation is destroyed.

The stated aim of the bill is to ""protect, promote and improve the public health of the population through policies geared towards minimizing the risks and reducing the dangers of cannabis use."" It therefore requires the national health and education systems to provide treatment for and education on problematic drug use.

""Uruguay deserves praise for taking the bold step toward becoming the first country in the world to legally regulate marijuana,"" said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. ""The race is now on to see whether Washington, Colorado or Uruguay will be the first to leapfrog the Dutch and establish an effective system for legally regulating what was previously an entirely illegal underground market.""