Uruguay Senate To Vote On Legalizing Sale Of Marijuana [1]

Uruguay is just one step away from becoming the first country in the world to legalize marijuana. On Tuesday, the Senate is to vote on a historic bill that would regulate the production and sale of cannabis for adults at a price of $1 per gram.

The measure is meant as a social experiment aimed at reducing drug-related crime. For over a year, president Mujica, 78, has been actively campaigning for the law that will give the government control and regulatory power over the entire chain from the production and harvesting to the sale and consumption of pot.He has also urged foreign governments to support the move.

“We are asking the world to help us with this experience, which will allow the adoption of a social and political experiment to face a serious problem - drug trafficking,” he said in an interview with Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo. “The effects of drug trafficking are worse than those of the drugs themselves.”

The initiative has stirred up debate within the small South American country. A poll carried out in September found 61 percent of those surveyed do not approve, reported AFP. The bill has also raised questions by some neighboring states like Brazil who fear that Uruguay's cannabis may find its way into their territory – where marijuana is illegal.

More on: RT.com [2]