Uruguay
Leading the Way
“It’s about time that we see a country bravely break with the failed prohibitionist model and try an innovative, more compassionate, and smarter approach… For 40 years, marijuana prohibition has been attempted and it simply hasn’t worked. But rather than closing their eyes to the problem of drug abuse and drug trafficking, Uruguay has chosen responsible regulation of an existing reality. Let’s hope others soon follow suit!” said Hannah Hetzer, Policy Manager of the Americas for the Drug Policy Alliance. (Sullum)
In 2012, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica proposed a plan to legalize the production and sale of marijuana. This will make Uruguay the first country in the world to legalize all the aspect of producing and selling marijuana. This will allow its citizens to grow plants for personal consumption as well as provide licenses to large scale farmers who plan to sell their cannabis. On July 31, 2013 the House of Representatives passed the bill to legalize cannabis. This was followed by the passing of the bill by the senate’s health commission on November 26, 2013. Finally on December 10, 2013, a 16 to 13 vote in the senate legalized the cultivation, consumption and sale of marijuana. (Castaldi) The same agency that monitors the tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceuticals will be in charge of creating a system that will tax the buyers/sellers, set up a register which will allow the government to monitor the amount of cannabis a person purchases each month and also regulate the quality of marijuana being produced. In an interview that took place in December of 2013 Julio Calzada, Secretary-General of Uruguay’s National Drug Council stated "Companies can get a license to cultivate if they meet all the criteria. However, this won’t be a free market. The government will control the entire production and determine the price, quality, and maximum production volume.” (Davies) This would give the Uruguayan government total control of regulating the production side of this process. In terms of the amount of cannabis that a person can produce or purchase, once this law goes into effect (which is estimated to be occurring sometime this year) it will able people who are 18 years of age or older to buy up to 40 grams of cannabis each month and allow growers to produce upwards of 480 grams a year. Registered smoking clubs will be able to grow 99 plants a year as well.(Miroff)
President Mujica estimated that the country would have to produce nearly 5,000 pounds of cannabis each month to keep up with the growing demand of the estimated 70,000 marijuana smokers in Uruguay.(news.com.au) Because of Mujica’s revolutionary approach on the war on drugs he has been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Works Cited
Castaldi, Malena, and Felipe Llambias. "Uruguay Becomes First Country to Legalize Marijuana Trade." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 April 2014. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-uruguay-marijuana-voteidUSBRE9BA01520131211>.
Davies, Jack. "The Architect of Uruguay's Marijuana Legalization Speaks Out." Reason.com. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://reason.com/archives/2013/12/15/the-architect-of-uruguays- marijuana-lega>.
Miroff, Nick. "Uruguay Votes to Legalize Marijuana." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 April 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/uruguays-senate-is-expected-to- legalize-marijuana-in-latin-american-country/2013/12/10/20ae3cfa-61e5-11e3-bf45- 61f69f54fc5f_story.html>.
Sullum, Jacob. "Uruguay Becomes The First Country To Legalize Marijuana." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 April 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2013/12/10/uruguay-becomes-the-first- country-to-legalize-marijuana/>.
"Uruguay Considers Legalising Marijuana as 'experiment', Says President Jose Mujica." NewsComAu. Web. 24 April 2014. <http://www.news.com.au/world/uruguay-wants- to-legalise-marijuana-as-experiment-says-president-jose-mujica/story-fndir2ev- 1226693125631>.
“It’s about time that we see a country bravely break with the failed prohibitionist model and try an innovative, more compassionate, and smarter approach… For 40 years, marijuana prohibition has been attempted and it simply hasn’t worked. But rather than closing their eyes to the problem of drug abuse and drug trafficking, Uruguay has chosen responsible regulation of an existing reality. Let’s hope others soon follow suit!” said Hannah Hetzer, Policy Manager of the Americas for the Drug Policy Alliance. (Sullum)
In 2012, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica proposed a plan to legalize the production and sale of marijuana. This will make Uruguay the first country in the world to legalize all the aspect of producing and selling marijuana. This will allow its citizens to grow plants for personal consumption as well as provide licenses to large scale farmers who plan to sell their cannabis. On July 31, 2013 the House of Representatives passed the bill to legalize cannabis. This was followed by the passing of the bill by the senate’s health commission on November 26, 2013. Finally on December 10, 2013, a 16 to 13 vote in the senate legalized the cultivation, consumption and sale of marijuana. (Castaldi) The same agency that monitors the tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceuticals will be in charge of creating a system that will tax the buyers/sellers, set up a register which will allow the government to monitor the amount of cannabis a person purchases each month and also regulate the quality of marijuana being produced. In an interview that took place in December of 2013 Julio Calzada, Secretary-General of Uruguay’s National Drug Council stated "Companies can get a license to cultivate if they meet all the criteria. However, this won’t be a free market. The government will control the entire production and determine the price, quality, and maximum production volume.” (Davies) This would give the Uruguayan government total control of regulating the production side of this process. In terms of the amount of cannabis that a person can produce or purchase, once this law goes into effect (which is estimated to be occurring sometime this year) it will able people who are 18 years of age or older to buy up to 40 grams of cannabis each month and allow growers to produce upwards of 480 grams a year. Registered smoking clubs will be able to grow 99 plants a year as well.(Miroff)
President Mujica estimated that the country would have to produce nearly 5,000 pounds of cannabis each month to keep up with the growing demand of the estimated 70,000 marijuana smokers in Uruguay.(news.com.au) Because of Mujica’s revolutionary approach on the war on drugs he has been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Works Cited
Castaldi, Malena, and Felipe Llambias. "Uruguay Becomes First Country to Legalize Marijuana Trade." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 April 2014. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-uruguay-marijuana-voteidUSBRE9BA01520131211>.
Davies, Jack. "The Architect of Uruguay's Marijuana Legalization Speaks Out." Reason.com. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://reason.com/archives/2013/12/15/the-architect-of-uruguays- marijuana-lega>.
Miroff, Nick. "Uruguay Votes to Legalize Marijuana." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 April 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/uruguays-senate-is-expected-to- legalize-marijuana-in-latin-american-country/2013/12/10/20ae3cfa-61e5-11e3-bf45- 61f69f54fc5f_story.html>.
Sullum, Jacob. "Uruguay Becomes The First Country To Legalize Marijuana." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 April 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2013/12/10/uruguay-becomes-the-first- country-to-legalize-marijuana/>.
"Uruguay Considers Legalising Marijuana as 'experiment', Says President Jose Mujica." NewsComAu. Web. 24 April 2014. <http://www.news.com.au/world/uruguay-wants- to-legalise-marijuana-as-experiment-says-president-jose-mujica/story-fndir2ev- 1226693125631>.