Uruguay: President Wants To Legalize Marijuana, But He's Never Tried It

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Uruguayan President José Mújica, who is pushing to legalize marijuana in his country, confessed earlier this week that he has never smoked pot.

"I have never tried it in my life and I don't know what it is," Mújica told local radio station Radio Carve. Mújica added that he knew "a lot of young people have tried it," reports Santiago Wills at ABC News.

Mújica's admission came just before he met with José Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS) to discuss a recent report on drug policy in the Americas. The report favors decriminalization of marijuana, which

Uruguayan lawmakers have already been discussing for the past year.

"We don't have any objections against this process moving forward," Insulza said about a marijuana legalization bill in Uruguay. "We don't support it openly because we don't have a mandate from [OAS] member countries, but that is the road that is being followed.

"The marijuana debate is now open and it's going to lead to changes," Insulza said.
Mújica, a former guerrilla fighter known for his kindness who donates his earnings to charity and lives on a small farm, has the backing of the Broad Front, a coalition of left-wing parties of which he is a member, in supporting the bill. It would allow those over 18 to buy up to 40 grams of cannabis per month from state-licensed retailers.

The legalization bill was first introduced in 2012. Last December, there were enough votes to pass the bill, but President Mújica asked Parliament not to vote on the legislation after a poll showed most Uruguayans did not favor it.

"Don't vote on a law because you have majority on Parliament," Mújica said at the time. "Support has to come from the streets."

He then told the bill's leading supporters they needed to convince rank-and-file Uruguayans of the importance of cannabis legalization. Since then, legislators both for and against legalization have tried to influence public opinion through media appearances and op-eds in the nation's newspapers.
"The government's proposal does not appear to make revenue generation the focus of its effort but rather the promotion of public health and safety," former Brazilian President and Global Commission on Drug Policy Chairman Fernando Henrique Cardoso wrote in The Huffington Post. "But it also stands to reason that this proposal could be an addition by subtraction. Simply taking this money out of the black market could be a benefit in and of itself.

"With much enthusiasm, I endorse the Uruguayan proposal and adhere to Regulación Responsible," Cardoso wrote, referring to a Uruguayan group of social organizations and individuals who support the legalization initiative.

The legislative vote is now set for July 31.

The Broad Front now has 49 of the 50 votes needed for the bill to clear the Lower Chamber of Parliament, according to El Observador.

Insulza's visit, seen as a show of support for Mújica's initiative, could help secure the 50th vote. On Monday, the OAS secretary general said marijuana legalization is a strategy worth trying.
Insulza also made a point of highlighting the fact that Uruguay is the first country where he is presenting the OAS report, "The Drug Problem in the Americas."

"What better place to start than here, where there is already a debate," Insulza said.
(Photo of Uruguayan President José Mújica: LifeWise)

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