Overview of drug laws and legislative trends in Uruguay

Trend

Uruguay is one of the few countries that never criminalized the possession of drugs for personal use. Since 1974, the law establishes no quantity limits, leaving it to the judge’s discretion to determine whether the intent was personal use. There are no sanctions at all once it is determined by the judge that the amount in possession was meant for personal use.

Law

Law decree N° 14.294, Art. 31: “Whoever is in possession of a minimal quantity, destined for personal consumption, will be exempted from punishment.”

The phrasing of the 1974 article was updated in 1998 to:

“Whoever is in possession of a reasonable quantity exclusively destined for personal consumption-- as morally determined by the Judge, who would have to include his reasoning for such ruling in the sentence-- will be exempted from punishment.”