Pubdate: Wed, 21 Aug 2013
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Peter Hakim and Cameron Combs
Note: Peter Hakim and Cameron Combs are president emeritus and 
program assistant, respectively, of the Inter-American Dialogue, a 
Washington-based think tank.

URUGUAY'S MARIJUANA EXPERIMENT

The United States' take-no-prisoners (or, perhaps more aptly, 
take-too-many-prisoners) approach to drug control has few fans in 
Latin America, long the most violent battleground in the U.S. war on 
drugs. Uruguay, the smallest country in the region, has been the 
first, however, to openly rebel. It is expected soon to be the only 
nation to legalize the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana on a 
national scale.

President Obama has said on several occasions that "legalization is 
not the answer." At an Organization of American States meeting this 
year, White House drug czar R. Gil Kerlikowske rejected legalization 
as a "bumpersticker approach."

But there is not much the administration can do about Uruguay's move. 
(In fact, it still has not formally announced what the federal 
response is to Colorado and Washington state laws, passed in 
November, legalizing marijuana for recreational use.) Indeed, the 
United States should pay special attention to developments in 
Uruguay, which may offer some important lessons for U.S. drug policy, 
at home and abroad.

Uruguay is a surprising trailblazer on the drug issue. Unlike much of 
Latin America, this is a country with limited drug consumption and 
little serious crime or violence. And despite the strong advocacy of 
current President Jose Mujica for legalization, polls report that 
nearly two-thirds of Uruguayans oppose it. So why, then, in a country 
with such widespread opposition and a mere 120,000 habitual cannabis 
users, is the government taking this groundbreaking step?

Mujica has championed legalization as a public security measure, a 
response to the Uruguayans' deepening concerns. Yet it is hard to 
believe this is the president's primary motive. After all, Uruguay's 
crime rate is among the lowest in Latin America. Perhaps a better 
explanation is Mujica's own leadership and commitment to building a 
legacy of progressive accomplishments. In just one year, he has 
ushered through the region's most liberal abortion law and 
legislation recognizing same-sex marriage.

Uruguay's initiative is also a response to Latin America's deep 
frustration with the United States' war on drugs. Although it is 
being scaled back within the U.S., the drug war remains a central 
priority of U.S. policy in the region - and in the eyes of Latin 
Americans, bears a sizable share of the blame for surging rates of 
crime and violence in Latin America.

The two central questions now become: First, will legalization, in 
fact, lower crime rates, divert people from more dangerous substances 
and reduce perceptions of insecurity? Or, as opponents claim, will it 
end up having little impact on crime while encouraging drug use? And, 
second, if Uruguay's efforts succeed, would marijuana legalization be 
the right course for other nations?

The outcome of Uruguay's initiative is uncertain, and retreat may 
ultimately be necessary. Indeed, even Mujica calls it an "experiment" 
and publicly acknowledges that it may fail. Black markets may be 
sustained by sales to juveniles and tourists - who would be forbidden 
to purchase it legally - or by people who want or need more than the 
government ration allows. Illegal sellers may even be able to offer 
lower prices.

Also, by blunting any remaining cultural stigma and anxieties about 
the health effects of marijuana, legalization could lead to an upturn 
in use, although the limited research available suggests that this is 
unlikely. But it is surely possible that Uruguay's legal cannabis may 
find its way into neighboring Brazil and Argentina (as Colorado's 
will to New Mexico and Wyoming). Finally, criminals may just write 
off the lost profits from marijuana and turn to other illicit 
activities, such as extortion and robbery, or ratchet up sales of 
more risk-laden drugs.

Marijuana legalization in Uruguay will hardly affect the bulk of the 
hemisphere's drug trade. Uruguay is neither a major drug producer nor 
a consequential trafficking corridor. And compared to Brazil or the 
United States, its market for narcotics is next to nonexistent. But 
Uruguay's courageous experiment may start a trend across Latin 
America. Already, many countries are formally decriminalizing 
marijuana or simply turning a blind eye to its use.

The experience of tiny Uruguay will have a big impact, no doubt, but 
what happens in the United States will be especially critical to the 
future of drug policy. California alone consumes an estimated 500 
tons of marijuana annually, compared to just 22 tons in all of 
Uruguay. But more relevant than market size, the U.S. will find it 
increasingly difficult to promote prohibition and strict enforcement 
in Latin American and elsewhere when its own citizens are pioneering 
a new course of toleration.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom