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Uruguay
Overview of drug laws and legislative trends in Uruguay
Trends
There is a favourable environment in the country for an open debate, not only involving domestic legislation but also regional and international drug policy and questioning prohibition as a failed model. Congress is debating a bill to regulate the cannabis market with state control over production and distribution. A new version of the bill was released in December 2012. This is the text of the bill passed by the House of Representatives on July 31, 2013. The Senate will likely vote on the project in November 2013.
Law
The existing legislation is Law 14.294 passed in 1974, modified by Law 17.016 from 1998. According to Article 31: "Whoever is found in possession of a reasonable amount of drugs meant exclusively for personal consumption, as determined in good faith by a judge, will be exempt from punishment; the judge must substantiate the reasoning behind his/her ruling." The law permits consumption but penalizes possession not for consumption. It does not establish a legal mechanism for obtaining the substance or set limits on the acceptable quantity for personal use, which is left to the judge’s discretion.
For the latest news on drug law reform in Uruguay click here. See also National Secretariat on Drugs (Junta Nacional de Drogas - JND) and the section on controlled regulation of the marijuana market.
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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. -
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.
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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. -
Drug Laws and Prisons in Uruguay
Systems Overload: Drug Laws and Prisons in Latin America
Uruguay has one of the most advanced drug policies on the continent. In Uruguay, the law does not criminalize drug use or possession of drugs for personal use. In addition, in recent years its national drug policies have prioritized the prosecution of medium and large-scale traffickers rather than focusing resources and energy on small-time dealers who are easily replaced. This country study examines the scope of the legislation, the policies developed and how the normative and policy frameworks find expression in Uruguay’s prison system, with a special focus on the population incarcerated for drug-related offenses.
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Download the chapter on Uruguay (PDF) -
'Paco' Under Scrutiny
The cocaine base paste market in the Southern Cone
Transnational Institute (TNI)Drugs & Conflict Debate Papers 14
October 2006
Based on two studies carried out in the cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, this report examines the origin, characteristics and impact of the explosive increase in cocaine base paste in urban areas. It also highlights the variety of products consumed in these cities and the substance known as crack that is consumed in Brazilian cities. The Brazilian experience with this consumption could serve as an example and a lesson for the Southern Cone.
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