Uruguay Becomes First Country To Legalize Marijuana Trade

 

Uruguay has approved pioneering legislation legalizing marijuana, becoming the first nation in the world to oversee the production and sale of the drug. After a 12-hour debate, 16 leftist senators out of 29 lawmakers voted Tuesday in favor of the legislation championed by President Jose Mujica, who must now sign it into law. Outside the Senate, hundreds of cannabis-smoking supporters set off fireworks in what they dubbed “the last march with illegal marijuana.” The atmosphere was festive. The bill passed the lower house of Congress in August and was assured of approval because the ruling coalition controls both chambers. It authorizes the production, distribution and sale of cannabis, allows individuals to grow their own on a small scale, and creates consumer clubs -- all under state supervision and control.

 

Uruguay’s pioneering move to legalize the planting and sale of marijuana opens the door for a clandestine cottage industry of pot growers to transform into a legitimate business that could even export medical cannabis, a commodity in short supply. More and more countries are setting up medical marijuana programs to help relieve the pain of terminally-ill patients and treat other health conditions, but there are few legal sources of the drug in the world and Uruguay could tap that tight market. The Uruguayan experiment could add momentum to the marijuana legalization debate in the United States, where the states of Washington and Oregon last year made it legal to grow and smoke pot.

 

If regulation works, Uruguay could become an exporter of medical marijuana to countries such as Canada that are allowing an expansion of the use of the drug for health reasons. Canada became the first country to allow terminally ill patients to grow and smoke their own marijuana in 2001.