Uruguay - 'Yes we cannabis'
Uruguay - 'Yes we cannabis'
By Patricia Luna, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Thursday, Dec 26, 2013
When Uruguay recently became the first country in the world to legalise and regulate the production, distribution and sale of marijuana, it was a long-time dream realised for marijuana activist Juan Vaz.
But it also came with a lot of work and campaigning. Vaz, a co-founder of the Uruguayan Association of Cannabis Studies, is one of the most visible faces associated with the marijuana legislation effort in the country.
He has long advocated for legalisation, and spent time in prison for growing the plant. He says that experience was life-changing and convinced him to fight for legalisation so that none of his fellow cannabis users would suffer the same fate.
By some estimates, 120,000 marijuana consumers in Uruguay will now be able to plant or buy the weed without penalty. According to the Uruguayan Observatory on Drugs, a governmental organisation, the sale of marijuana on the black market currently dominates the illegal drug trade in the country, with estimated sales of $20m annually.
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