Uruguayan Senate to Vote Next Week on President Mujica’s Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana
The Uruguayan Senate next week will vote on a bill that would make their country the first in the world to legally regulate the production, distribution and sale of marijuana for adults since cannabis became illegal worldwide 52 years ago, under the Single Convention Narcotics Treaty of 1961. The bill was approved in the Uruguay House of Representatives in July with 50 out of 96 votes.
The Senate vote will most likely take place on Tuesday, December 10. Once approved in Senate, Uruguay will have 120 days to write the regulations before implementing the law.
The marijuana legalization proposal was put forward by President José Mujica in June 2012 as part of a comprehensive package aimed at fighting crime and public insecurity. After a year and a half of studying the issue, engaging in political debate, redrafting the bill, and the emergence of a public campaign in favor of the proposal, Uruguay’s parliament is set to approve the measure this year.
“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,” said Hannah Hetzer, who is based out of Montevideo, Uruguay, as the Policy Manager of the Americas for the Drug Policy Alliance. "By approving this measure, Uruguay will represent a concrete advance in line with growing opposition to the drug war in Latin America and throughout the world."