Uruguay wants to grow, sell marijuana to cut drug-related crime

Friday, August 10, 2012
Uruguay wants to grow, sell marijuana to cut drug-related crime

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Uruguay's government has sent a bill to Congress that would allow the state to grow and sell marijuana, a move that President Jose Mujica says will cut crime associated with illegal drug trafficking.

The use of cannabis is already legal in Uruguay, one of Latin America's safest countries and a trailblazer on liberal lawmaking. The bill would regulate its sale and production.

Other countries in the region, like Colombia and Mexico, have struggled for years with killings and other violence linked to the narcotics trade. Mujica's government says the negative effects of pot smoking are less harmful than the violence associated with the black market, where it trades illegally.

Registered consumers would be limited to buying 30 grams (about 1 ounce) per month and foreigners would be banned from buying the drug to prevent the small country of 3.3 million people from becoming a hot spot for pot-smoking tourists.

More:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/8/10/worldupdates/2012-08-09T232305Z_1_BRE8781LS_RTROPTT_0_UK-URUGUAY-MARIJUANA&sec=Worldupdates