Uruguay is selling its own weed
Miguel Rojo/AFP/Getty Images
Marijuana is now legal in the tiny South American country of Uruguay, the first to legalize the production and sale of weed. [Reuters]
Uruguay passed a law legalizing marijuana back in 2013, but the first sales of the drug started yesterday. Individual pharmacies can now sell marijuana, which is grown and regulated by the government. [WSJ / Taos Turner]
By controlling the drug’s sale, the Uruguayan government can control which strains of the drug will be grown and how much legal pot people can buy, and can clamp down on any commercial drug sellers. [Washington Post / Nick Miroff]
This has drawn some criticism from marijuana activists in the country, but many also see it as a way to curb the illegal drug trade in South America and cut into cartel profits. [Washington Post / Christopher Ingraham]
The government is also diverting some of the profits from pot sales into a fund for addiction treatment. [NYT / Ernesto Londono]
Residents of the country are the only ones who can purchase the drug, as government officials were reportedly wary of getting a reputation like Amsterdam and all of the pot tourists that come with it. Pot tourism in the Netherlands has led to an uptick in violence and crime in some cities. [NYT / Suzanne Daley]
Where Uruguay is leading, other South American countries may follow. Argentina, Chile, and Mexico have been acting on decriminalization and legal possession measures for the past few years. [Mic / Tom McKay]
www.fotavgeia.blogspot.com
Miguel Rojo/AFP/Getty Images
Marijuana is now legal in the tiny South American country of Uruguay, the first to legalize the production and sale of weed. [Reuters]
Uruguay passed a law legalizing marijuana back in 2013, but the first sales of the drug started yesterday. Individual pharmacies can now sell marijuana, which is grown and regulated by the government. [WSJ / Taos Turner]
By controlling the drug’s sale, the Uruguayan government can control which strains of the drug will be grown and how much legal pot people can buy, and can clamp down on any commercial drug sellers. [Washington Post / Nick Miroff]
This has drawn some criticism from marijuana activists in the country, but many also see it as a way to curb the illegal drug trade in South America and cut into cartel profits. [Washington Post / Christopher Ingraham]
The government is also diverting some of the profits from pot sales into a fund for addiction treatment. [NYT / Ernesto Londono]
Residents of the country are the only ones who can purchase the drug, as government officials were reportedly wary of getting a reputation like Amsterdam and all of the pot tourists that come with it. Pot tourism in the Netherlands has led to an uptick in violence and crime in some cities. [NYT / Suzanne Daley]
Where Uruguay is leading, other South American countries may follow. Argentina, Chile, and Mexico have been acting on decriminalization and legal possession measures for the past few years. [Mic / Tom McKay]
www.fotavgeia.blogspot.com
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