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Uruguay
Overview of drug policy, drug law and legislative trends in Uruguay
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Drug consumption is not a crime in Uruguay. On 20 December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalise and regulate cannabis when President José Mujica enacted Law 19.172. This act regulates the production, marketing and consumption of cannabis. The state would henceforth control the entire cannabis industry chain, from production to consumption. The following questions explore recent developments on the drug policy issues in Uruguay. -
Infographic: How will Uruguay's regulation of cannabis work?
Transnational Institute (TNI)
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
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On December 10, 2013, the General Assembly of Uruguay approved a law that made the country the first one in the world to fully regulate the cultivation, trade and consumption of cannabis for medical, industrial as well as recreational purposes. This infographic gives a short overview of the main aspects of the new law. -
Infographic: Why is Uruguay regulating; not criminalising cannabis?
Transnational Institute (TNI)
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
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"The approval of regulation under state control in Uruguay marks a tipping point in the failed war against drugs. The trend is becoming irreversible: the era of a globally enforced cannabis prohibition regime is drawing to a close," says Martin Jelsma in a press release welcoming the approval of the law on December 10, 2013. The new law makes Uruguay the first country in the world to fully regulate the cultivation, trade and consumption of cannabis for medical, industrial as well as recreational purposes. This infographic gives a quick summary of the reasons why Uruguay is regulating cannabis. -
Uruguay’s pioneering cannabis regulation marks the tipping point in the failed war on drugs
Press release by TNI
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Uruguay’s senate voted today (10 December) to approve the world’s first national legal framework regulating the cultivation, trade and consumption of cannabis for medical, industrial as well as recreational purposes. The historical vote is expected to inspire and spread cannabis reform initiatives around the world and to have a major impact on upcoming UN-level drug policy evaluations.Download the press release (PDF)
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Uruguay moves one step closer to becoming first country to legally regulate marijuana
Hannah Hetzer, Drug Policy AllianceInternational Drug Policy Connsortium IDPC (UK)
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
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On Wednesday 31st July 2013, the Uruguayan House of Representatives approved a marijuana regulation bill, bringing it one step closer to becoming the first country in the world to legally regulate the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. -
Latin America Drug Policy Dialogue 2013 Maldonado (Uruguay)
The ninth Latin America informal drug policy dialogue was devoted to "dilemmas in regulation of the cannabis market." The two-day dialogues were structured around seven sessions: (1) The Uruguayan proposal for cannabis regulation: dilemmas and challenges. (2) Current models of regulation: United States, Spain and the Netherlands. (3) The fine art of regulation: state monopoly vs. self-regulated market which works better and for whom? (4) Addressing cross-border differences and market mobility. (5) Tensions between cannabis regulation and international drug-control treaties: What options do governments have? (6) Cannabis reforms under way in Latin America. (7) Strategy and paths to reform: scenarios and next steps.
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Uruguay steps forward with Marijuana legalisation vote
The vote by Uruguay’s House of Representatives to legalize and regulate the country’s marijuana market represents a major step forward for the landmark reform effort
Press release by TNI and WOLA
Thursday, August 1, 2013
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The bill will now be taken up in Uruguay’s Senate—where the governing Frente Amplio coalition also holds a majority—and could soon arrive on the desk of President José Mujica, who has supported the proposal since its introduction in 2012. -
Drugs and Prisons in Uruguay
The Case of Alicia Castilla
In Uruguay, the consumption of drugs, including marijuana, is not punishable with prison time. Even so, the cultivation of marijuana for personal consumption is a crime.
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Uruguayan drug legalisation: Thinking the unthinkable
A bold, if fuzzy, proposal
The Economist (UK)
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Latin American leaders have begun to rebel against rigid drug prohibition and the decades-long "war" on drugs. So when Uruguay’s government this month released a document suggesting it would legalise and take control of the sale of cannabis in the country, this seemingly bold step attracted much media attention. Not so fast: the proposal amounts to one line in a 20-page report on the government’s strategy for tackling rising crime. Nevertheless, something is stirring in Uruguay. -
Uruguay mulls government marijuana sales
Associated Press
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Uruguay is planning a novel approach to fighting its rising crime: having its government sell marijuana to take drug profits out of the hands of dealers. Under the plan backed by President Jose Mujica's leftist administration, only the government would be allowed to sell marijuana and only to adults who register on a government database, letting officials keep track of their purchases over time. Profits would reportedly go toward rehabilitating drug addicts.
