Uruguay begins to discuss ‘marihuana bill’ that makes government pot dealer
A plan by Uruguayan president Jose Mujica to turn the government into the nation's marijuana dealer has been presented to Congress. The aim of the proposed bill is to take over an illegal marijuana trafficking business estimated to be worth 30 to 40 million dollars annually.
The one article bill would allow the government to control marijuana imports, production, sale and distribution, creating a legal market for people to get pot without turning to riskier illegal drugs.
The text submitted to Congress says the drug war has been a failure and that marijuana is only mildly addictive, unlike “cocaine, alcohol, tobacco and psychotropic drugs”.
However the bill retains in all its terms Law 14.294/1977 which bans the sale and/or purchase of marihuana (and other drugs) among privates and underlines that the government is empowered to be involved in all the material activities for the import, production, purchase, trading and distribution of the substance. The word “import” refers to the seeds.
The initiative is part of a package of actions against drug-trafficking which was announced a month ago. The purpose of the bill is to split the legal from the illegal market of drugs and concentrate all combat efforts against more noxious drugs such as ‘pasta base’ which is the cheap residue when manufacturing cocaine and is seen as one of the main causes of a surge in violent crime.
But members of Congress and public opinion are divided on the idea, even within the ruling catch all Broad Front coalition of President Mujica.
The Uruguayan leader has anticipated he will push the plan only if it gets at least 60% support in opinion polls. An official in the president's press office said the bill is not expected to advance quickly.
The text says the project's goals include “the normalisation and full social acceptance of marijuana use” so consumers are not “stigmatised, nor treated as criminals”. Instead, it proposes education about the risks of marijuana use. The presidency's website said a National Drug Council would organise meetings to “facilitate reflection” on this point.
The text sent to Congress added that “marijuana has been for many years the most-consumed illegal substance” in Uruguay, and “has an important level of legitimacy in Uruguayan society”.
Several members of the ruling coalition and the cabinet admitted having smoked pot at some time of their lives and the Secretary of the Presidency Alberto Breccia publicly stated it is a satisfactory experience: “I felt peace, serenity and joy”. However later he complained his words had been taken “too lightly” and his opinion distorted by the media.
The bill in its presentation motives argues that distinguished members of the Global Committee on Drugs Policy such as Fernando Henrique Cardozo, César Gaviria, Ernesto Zedillo, Javier Solana, Kofi Annan, Asma Jahagandir, Paul Volker, Mario Vargas Llosa, Carlos Fuentes, María Cattaui and Richard Branson have pointed out the urgent need to review the current policies to combat drug trafficking and consumption.
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38 comments Feed
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Many, no, most commenters on this site, do not appreciate the pragmatism and Grandfatherly wisdom of Mujica. The world would be a far better place if there were more Pepes in charge.
Now I'll watch as the truly ignorant and stupid comments pile on.
I completely agree. Well done Mujica for having the vision to propose a long overdue radical change in tactics. I hope he gets it through.
Elaine,
You might be right, but we just don’t know. No amount of policing has worked thus far, why not try something radical? I think it has a high chance of success and if it fails, well it will be just another failed drug policy. Nothing to lose and everything to win.
Anyone noticed that Mujica is a farmer? And how long has this “farmer” been producing “weed” and selling it to support his political aspirations? Or is he demonstrating his senility? Here''s a thought for Uruguay and Pepe the Senile. How many nations will ban the entry of Uruguayan nationals to their countries? Go for this and then stay inside your borders. You will not be tolerated!
If drugs are legalised, they are not going to be free so they still have to be paid for. Crime committed to support a drug habit accounts for more of the prison population in the UK than actual possession or dealing. Do you see my point?
Personally, I can understand the debate that weed is no more harmful than alcohol, I just don't see that legalising it will eradicate organised crime or solve the problems related to drug addiction. Just sayin'.
I am not SA nor european.....try conquroring you brain before your cerebral farts get the best of you, if the best you can state is an insult.
“Uruguay begins to discuss ‘Marijuana Bill’ that makes government pot dealer”
I (and Steppenwolf) say:
”You know the dealer, the dealer is a man…
With the love grass in his hand….”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6TvaItYu_M&feature=related
Vamos Pepe todavía….
I am not from the USA but do think there are some obsessively over-reactive laws regarding drugs in some states. For instance some states regard dealing in dope to be on a par with cocaine, which just means the dealers have moved on to the move profitable drug which carries the same risk. Then there are the disparities in sentencing; cocaine (the white man's drug) carries lesser prison sentencing than crack cocaine (the black man's drug).
You could also argue that tobacco is the most addictive drug and causes more deaths (though not more crime) but the tax revenues and strong tobacco lobby means it will never be classed as illegal.
The only caveat I would add to more relaxed laws on marijuana is a minimum age limit of 25. Why? Because about one third of male (in particular) are susceptible to psychological disorders if they take marijuana whilst their brains are still developing. This is a medical fact. And there should be controls on the strength, as there is in the Netherlands. And the same drug/driving laws as for alcohol should apply.
Relaxing the law wouldn't affect me personally but I wouldn't want to see the prison to be less crowded but the psychiatric wards full to bursting.
For example, the Manual de Direction (the Driving Manual) is based on the USA version of how to drive safely. We can all debate the merits of that but you have to admit that Americans do attempt to enforce the law. In Uruguay, to obtain a Uruguayo Driving Licence involves taking a computerised test in Espanol, no translators allowed, no English speaking Intendencia (Council) operators available but this is 'cast in stone'. When I pointed out several glaring omissions to the vehicle condition requirement and very poor driving to the Intendencia official he told me that, yes of course we know this, but you must accept that the manual is aspirational as well as the law!
I just wonder if Pepe's vision really does run to ensuring that all the other drugs are policed effectively and if so, why wasn't it done before?
He has really shot down his own argument in that 'the war is lost' against drugs, so what is going to be different with the new, relaxed law?
With regard to more checks on 'drug addicted Uruguayos' in the arrival halls of other countries, that is already the case in the UK due to the well known fact that our southern, friendly, country sends their couriers via MVD in an attempt to confuse the checks. It is the same with Jamaica for the same reasons.
It is not in some south americas interest to deter drug trafficing totally, serious drug money from the west alone filters its way into their economies without that money they would have a serious problem.
just one bust equaled US$350m street value.
It hasn't stopped the killing of the elephants and I doubt if the Uraguayan government will reduce the transfer and use of drugs by this process.
Perhaps the solution for the IUCN Red List is for countries to legalise the farming of elephants for tusks, the farming of bears for gall bladders, the farming of snakes and puffer fish for venom, etc.
Massively increase the supply - like Colombian coca/cocaine, Afgan opium/heroin - and we can bring the prices down for the 'man in the street'. And nobody gets hurt. Sorted!
;-)
........................
The drugs are just the commodity of choice for making money. The objective is the money its maintenance of inflow, and transfer into the regular money-markets.
Drugs have the advantage of addiction, but you can get addicted to all sorts of things - hence the mafia's creation of Las Vegas.
'Legalising' reduces profit to the bosses and the gangs; they will sequentially transfer their energies to the 'next most profitable' enterprises. The normal principals of profit and risk apply.
'Society' defines social acceptability and social unacceptability, and drug sales/usage are usually unacceptable - not least because of the costs - dislocations and bad knock-on effects throughout societies structures.
Human nature will always attempt to maximise personal 'wealth'; society tries to balance this with minimising social cost.
The dynamic is not always bad ... it also allows 'culture' to develop and thrive. But personal wealth through induced chemical drug addictions - 'drugs', tobacco and alcohol - is not the way to bring culture to the human condition.
Interesting post, but in my experience, when drug users and the associated criminals were using the parking lot of one of my businesses in Stoke-on-Trent, the local police would do nothing because of the 'shelter' just down the street where these bastards lodged.
SO, what would you do about it? Whatever the police have been doing in the metropolitan areas to curb the problem (note I didn't say erradicate it), it clearly has not worked.
Can any action by enforcemenr authorities ever work?
YEAHHH..........................
Fill all Malvinas poly-tunnels with ganja, not gherkins...
All Falkland lads would then be as fit as those Jamaican lads…
And all Falkland lassies would be as slim as Forrest Gump's Jenny…
And then............................., peace would finally get a chance..... ;-)
Your implication of my name is just another moronic statement you asshole. That's what my grandson calls me. Stick your head further up your ass and keep it there. I smoked tons of pot in my youth and through college....even in the Army. Like millions perhaps billions have in their youth . The experience you speak of is apparently your trafficking days.
@24 Thanks for confirming that you're a faggot! And who donated the sperm for your “partner” while you were stoned? What's the incidence of genetic abnormality in your brood of drug-spawned, syphilitic bastards? Don't be concerned about your response. Druggies and argies are much the same. “Truth” is just a meaningless sound. You were in an “army”? Should have been shot! I hate druggies. I hate argies. I hate criminals. Bring back capital punishment! And daily floggings for the rest. 50 lashes a day, every day. I do like the idea of someone like you getting a 6-month sentence, including 9,000 lashes with a cat'o'nine tails!
You really make me laugh.....you can't say anything intelligent so you think your so called insults are damaging. What part of the world do you reside in anyway? Please don't tell me you are a Brit?
You really continually display just how sad and pathetic an idividual soul you are.
The same as legalization of it wouldn't make more people smoke pot.
Besides, who are you to judge such an initiative , your own war on drugs is a failed project and all you have left is excuses...
#2 “Many, no, most commenters on this site, do not appreciate the pragmatism and Grandfatherly wisdom of Mujica. The world would be a far better place if there were more Pepes in charge”
I agree, and not just on this issue!
#20 Surely not =)
As someone from the States looking at what it would mean if Uruguay legalized marihuana, I'm surprised that no one is discussing the tourism potential.
People in the U.S. don't know about Uruguay (for the most part) but, though it may sound superficial, legalizing it would help open up a tourist trade from the States. Beyond that it would generate quite a revenue for Uruguay both domestically and from tourism in general.
I truly wish we'd legalize it in the States. It would solve a lot of economic problems here. Uruguay has the opportunity to be an example to the rest of the world.
Why not lead the way?
Studies shows that one can also draw a parallel between the drug abusers and people that breathes, usually they start breathing before they opt for drugs...
There's also a pretty high correlation between drugs of abuse and stopping breathing.
Conqueror is a Brit.
He is also capable of really intelligent posts, showing great insight. He has also had first hand experience in drug enforcement.
From time to time however, he does go off the deep end. :o)
I suggest you read your post after the benefit of a long rest.
Your final sentence is not characteristic of you.
Jeez, I should probably review my stance on this issue.
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