Chile Lawmakers Pass Measure to Legalize Recreational Cannabis

Chile Lawmakers Pass Measure to Legalize Recreational Cannabis

Chile’s lower house of Congress has voted 68 to 39 to pass legislation that would legalize the possession, use, cultivation and transportation of recreational cannabis.

If approved into law, the measure would legalize the possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis, and the personal cultivation of up to 6 cannabis plants. It would also be legal to share and transport cannabis.

The proposal now goes to a health committee before being voted on once more by the lower house, which would then send it to the Senate for consideration.

“It is a historic day for medicinal users who wish to stop being persecuted and be able to access a medicine that they can grow in their gardens,” says Communist lawmaker Karol Cariola, who is part of President Michelle Bachelet’s leftist coalition. Although the proposal applies to all adults, not just patients, many of the bill’s advocates see the measure as a means of further protecting those who use cannabis medicinally.

President Bachelet, who introduced the measure, is expected to quickly sign it into law if given the chance.

– TheJointBlog