It wasn’t just students with Bob Marley posters on their walls that celebrated the country’s move to legalise cannabis, which takes effect in April. Many other (presumably) not-under-the-influence voices praised what they saw as a bold, practical move to combat the problems caused by the illegal drug trade. Some even suggested Mujica should win a Nobel prize.
Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation and author of How to Regulate Cannabis, advised the Uruguayan president and government on their cannabis reform laws.
‘The Uruguayans looked long and hard at the evidence of the war on drugs approach, which showed that it’s enormously expensive but it neither deters use, nor reduces availability,’ said Rolles.
‘The war on drugs, like US alcohol prohibition, has been an unmitigated disaster. It has, however, achieved a great deal for the gangsters that now control a market worth £260bn a year, not to mention corrupt officials, prison builders and money-laundering banks who’ve all profited hugely from this 50-year folly. They have decided the pragmatic solution is to put the government, rather than gangsters and unregulated dealers, in control of the cannabis market.’
But is Uruguay’s move a one-off, or could others get hooked on the idea?
‘For most Latin American countries, this is not a rhetorical war,’ said Rolles. ‘It’s very real and involves horrific violence on a daily basis. The region’s carried a heavier burden than any other and they’ve had enough. Serving heads of state are now lining up to condemn the war on drugs and support reform. Momentum’s building rapidly. Uruguay is just the first domino.’
The United Nations declared Uruguay’s move a violation of international legal agreements. And many still believe the war to rid the world of drugs is the way forward.
‘The international system for drug control has been quite efficient, while at the same time not perfect,’ says Per Johansson, secretary of the board of the World Federation Against Drugs.
‘Alcohol kills about 2.5m people every year,’ he said. ‘Tobacco kills six million. This is because these drugs are legal and thus widely used. If cannabis became legal all over the world, we’d see large health problems in the same way we have with alcohol and tobacco. There really can’t be any other goal for the world’s drug policy than a drug-free world.’
It wasn’t just students with Bob Marley posters on their walls that celebrated the country’s move to legalise cannabis, which takes effect in April. Many other (presumably) not-under-the-influence voices praised what they saw as a bold, practical move to combat the problems caused by the illegal drug trade. Some even suggested Mujica should win a Nobel prize.
Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation and author of How to Regulate Cannabis, advised the Uruguayan president and government on their cannabis reform laws.
‘The Uruguayans looked long and hard at the evidence of the war on drugs approach, which showed that it’s enormously expensive but it neither deters use, nor reduces availability,’ said Rolles.
‘The war on drugs, like US alcohol prohibition, has been an unmitigated disaster. It has, however, achieved a great deal for the gangsters that now control a market worth £260bn a year, not to mention corrupt officials, prison builders and money-laundering banks who’ve all profited hugely from this 50-year folly. They have decided the pragmatic solution is to put the government, rather than gangsters and unregulated dealers, in control of the cannabis market.’
But is Uruguay’s move a one-off, or could others get hooked on the idea?
‘For most Latin American countries, this is not a rhetorical war,’ said Rolles. ‘It’s very real and involves horrific violence on a daily basis. The region’s carried a heavier burden than any other and they’ve had enough. Serving heads of state are now lining up to condemn the war on drugs and support reform. Momentum’s building rapidly. Uruguay is just the first domino.’
The United Nations declared Uruguay’s move a violation of international legal agreements. And many still believe the war to rid the world of drugs is the way forward.
‘The international system for drug control has been quite efficient, while at the same time not perfect,’ says Per Johansson, secretary of the board of the World Federation Against Drugs.
‘Alcohol kills about 2.5m people every year,’ he said. ‘Tobacco kills six million. This is because these drugs are legal and thus widely used. If cannabis became legal all over the world, we’d see large health problems in the same way we have with alcohol and tobacco. There really can’t be any other goal for the world’s drug policy than a drug-free world.’
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