Will Uruguay Become the First Country to End Marijuana Prohibition?

As a bill to regulate and tax marijuana comes closer to the Uruguayan Senate, public support for the bill seems to be growing. The bill was approved by the Uruguayan House of Representatives on July 31,2013 and is supported by Uruguayan President José Mújica. However, the majority of the Uruguayan public is still opposed to the bill.

Sixty-five percent of Uruguayans polled said that they would sign a petition for a referendum if the law were approved.  However, in order for a referendum to appear on a ballot, 25% of the public must turn out for a preliminary vote. This means that the chances of a successful referendum are small. This past June, a referendum failed against a controversial abortion law after it was only able to draw 8.8% of the public for a similar preliminary vote.

The Uruguayan Senate is expected to pass the bill, which would make Uruguay the first country to end marijuana prohibition on a national level.