Last night, Uruguay’s lower legislative house voted 50 to 46 to pass a sweeping cannabis bill that would legalize and regulate the growing, sale, and consumption of the plant. The country’s Senate has yet to vote, there is a “comfortable majority” for legalization, according to the New York Times. And Uruguayan President José Mujica, himself a vocal cannabis supporter, plans to sign when the legislation comes across his desk.
This means, within a matter of weeks, Uruguay will likely become “the first nation in modern times to create a legal, regulated framework for marijuana,” says drug policy expert John Walsh.
Montevideo won’t soon become the next Amsterdam-style cannabis tourism destination, however. Only Uruguayans can legally purchase weed under the new law.
