Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica hopes to fight with a increasing crime problem by selling marijuana to citizens registered to buy it. Under the plan the bills will send to Congress that would make it the first country in the world to do so.
It is what several latin American countries have been wanting a long time to do, but cannot because of fierce opposition from American President Barack Obama. Defence Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro at the conference said that this was part of a plan to remove profits from drug dealers and divert users from so-called harder drugs.
The main target of the Uruguay’s government was for ‘ strict state control over the distribution and production ‘ of cannabis.
President Jose Mujica proposes distributing and selling marijuana in Uruguay
According to official estimates in Uruguay alone, the illegal marijuana market is appraisal to be worth about 75 milion dollars a year. The Uruguay government blame the incrise of crime in Uruguay on hard drugs, specifically crack cocaine, but marijuana also. The new bill stipulates that some shops would be admited to sell marijuana cigarettes at a price determined by the Uruguay’s government. The authorities also wants to form a user database to control consumption of the citizens in Uruguay.
Lots of politicians says the move would make Uruguay the only national government in the world selling marijuana. Frequent dispensaries on the local level in the United States are permitted to sell and use marijuana for medical use.
‘ Marijuana is a gateway to stronger drugs ‘ / Uruguay aims to legalize marijuana market
The Uruguay government says that measurement should be accompanied by efforts to get young people off drugs. But some other drug rehabilitation experts disagree with the planned bill altogether. They say that marijuana opens the first door to the stronger drugs like cruck cocaine or heroine.
Washington Office leading expert on Latin America Coletta Youngers said : ‘ There’s a growing recognition in the region that marijuana needs to be treated differently than other drugs, because it’s a clear case that the drug laws have a greater negative impact than the use of the drug itself. If Uruguay moved in this direction they would be challenging the international drug control system. ‘
The experts comments the new bill has already proved controversial, and the debate in Congress could take at least several months.
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