TruthOnPot.com – On Thursday, people around the world were tuned in to watch Uruguay’s MPs debate a bill that would make the Latin American country the first in the world to legalize marijuana. But it wasn’t just pro-legalization supporters that responded quickly after 13 hours of back and forth ended in a 50-46 victory that saw the bill pass.
In the waking hours following the announcement that Uruguay had overcome its largest hurdle towards legalizing marijuana – final approval from the majority left-wing Senate is scheduled for October and is expected to come smoothly – two United Nations’ drug agencies released statements voicing disapproval for where the country is headed.
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), a body of drug policy experts established by the United Nations to monitor compliance with international drug treaties, highlighted the fact that Uruguay was near to passing a law that “would be in complete contravention to the provisions of the international drug control treaties” and warned of “serious consequences for the health and welfare of the population” if marijuana were to become legal.