Uruguay Legalizes Recreational Cannabis
Uruguay has officially become the first country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis.
Today, the Uruguay Senate approved a cannabis legalization proposal – with a vote of 16 to 13 – which has already been approved by the nation’s House of Representatives. It now heads directly to President José Mujica for final consideration. Mujica introduced the bill, and has said that he will quickly sign it into law. The proposal will take effect 120 days after it’s signed.
[pullquote align=”left|center|right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”30%”]Cannabis will become legal for those 18 and older.[/pullquote]Under the new law, the possession, use and transfer of up to 40 grams of cannabis will become legal for those 18 and older, as will the private cultivation of up to 6 plants. In addition, state-run cannabis clubs will be established to distribute cannabis to adults, and pharmacies will be authorized to distribute cannabis to qualified patients.
According to Julio Calzada, secretary general of Uruguay’s National Committee on Drugs, cannabis will be sold at just $1 a gram, as a means of undercutting the black-market.
– TheJointBlog
MCKersten
It’s interesting that the price will be set at $1.00 per gram in Uraguay. This is where I-502 in Washington is so far off the mark. I-502 imposes outrageously high taxes, and the law itself invites the Black Market to undercut the I-502 store prices. Mark Kleiman had it right when he said that the tax should start out being minimal, and then the legislature should raise it as I-502 proves itself to be a successful law, and after the I-502 stores wipe out the black market.