Uruguay says may grow marijuana on military land
Source: Reuters
Uruguay says may grow marijuana on military land
MONTEVIDEO, March 12 Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:07pm EDT
(Reuters) - Uruguay is considering growing marijuana on plot of land controlled by the military to avoid illegal trafficking of the crop, which it legalized in December, the defense minister said on Wednesday.
Tapping military land to centralize cannabis cultivation is one of several scenarios the small South American country is studying as it prepares to roll out its new legalization law, Defense Minister Eleuterio Fernandez said in an interview.
"The ministry of defense has many parcels of land and it will be seen which offers the best conditions for bailment," Fernandez said. "At any rate we can guard perimeters."
Ten to 20 hectares (25 to 49 acres) of marijuana would likely be enough to meet domestic demand, according to preliminary estimates issued by ruling party lawmakers.
Uruguay, the first country in the world to legalize the full cycle of marijuana trade from seed to smoke, is being watched closely by other countries debating drug liberalization.
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