Uruguayan senate expected to legalise pot
AAP
December 10, 2013, 7:19 pm
Uruguay is set to pass a bill to legalise both the cultivation and sale of marijuana. AP
The Uruguay Senate is expected to approve a bill that would make it the first country in the world to regulate the cultivation and sale of marijuana.
The bill was already approved by Chamber of Deputies in August to allow individuals aged 18 and older to buy up to 40 grams of marijuana per month from chemists' shops, or to grow up to six cannabis plants, if they register on a database of users.
The effort is part of a move to aid the country's fight against illegal drugs.
Marijuana clubs would be allowed 15 to 45 members, and up to 99 cannabis plants.
The initiative is led by the government of President Jose Mujica, whose Frente Amplio coalition has a narrow majority.
If it becomes law, it would give the state "control and regulation of the activities of import, export, planting, cultivation, harvesting, production, acquisition in any capacity, storage, marketing, and distribution of cannabis and its derivatives."
Possession of cannabis for personal consumption is already tolerated in Uruguay.
A parallel situation can be found in the Netherlands, where marijuana is still considered an illegal drug but is tolerated.
The bill was first presented last year by Defence Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro, who said he believed the ban on marijuana created more problems for society than the drug itself.
The opposition Colorado Party opposed the legalisation, arguing that it would not reduce drug consumption.
President of the Organisation of American States Jose Miguel Insulz has indicated support for the initiative.
