Post date: Dec 11, 2013 1:28:13 AM
Uruguayan senators open debate on a bill that would make Uruguay the first country in the world to establish a legal marijuana trade.
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY (DECEMBER 10, 2013) (REUTERS) - Uruguay's Senate is expected to pass a law on Tuesday (December 10) making the small South American nation the world's first to allow its citizens to grow, buy and smoke marijuana.
The senate floor opened on Tuesday with senators from both sides of debate voicing their support for or opposition of the bill which establishes state regulation of the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana and is aimed at wresting the business from criminals.Cannabis consumers would be allowed to buy a maximum of 40 grams (1.4 ounces) each month from state-regulated pharmacies as long as they are over the age of 18 and registered on a government database that will monitor their monthly purchases.
Uruguayans would also be allowed to grow up to six plants of marijuana in their homes a year, or as much as 480 grams (about 17 ounces).
They could also set up smoking clubs of 15 to 45 members that could grow up to 99 plants per year.
The bill, which opinion polls show is unpopular, passed the lower chamber of Congress in July and is expected to easily pass the Senate on the strength of the ruling coalition's majority.
According to a recent opinion poll by Equipos Consultores, 58 percent of Uruguayans oppose legalizing pot, although that is down from 68 percent in a previous survey in June.
Critics say legalization will not only increase consumption but open the door to the use of harder drugs than marijuana, which according to government statistics is used by 8 percent of Uruguayans on a regular basis.
However, Senator Roberto Conde of the governing Broad Front left-wing coalition said regulation would actually help counter the negative effects of drug use.
"The problems with consumption don't come from the regulation the law establishes. The law establishes this regulation for the very purpose of facing the negative consequences marijuana consumption has on our society," Conde said.
Uruguay's attempt to undo drug trafficking is being followed closely in Latin America where the legalization of some narcotics is being increasingly seen by regional leaders as a possible way to end the violence spawned by the cocaine trade.
But not all senators are onboard with the experimental plan.
"The government is opening a door to the abyss with this bill and is ignoring the true interests of Uruguayans by virtue of the fact that the problems facing the nation are pushed aside," senatorJorge Larranga National Party said.
The use of marijuana is legal in Uruguay, a country of 3.3 million that is one of the most liberal inLatin America, but cultivation and sale of the drug are not.
The bill gives authorities 120 days to set up a drug control board that will regulate cultivation standards, fix the price and monitor consumption.
If it works, the legislation is expected to fuel momentum for wider legalization of marijuana elsewhere, including the United States and in Europe.