Could Chile Be The Next South American Country To Legalize Marijuana?
Could Chile Be The Next South American Country To Legalize Marijuana?
Written by: David Iaconangelo 2015/04/08 2:49 PM
For the marijuana-decriminalization crowd, Uruguay sits way ahead at the vanguard of the Americas. Uruguay is the only country in the hemisphere that has legalized recreational marijuana. But one of its neighbors could soon follow suit. On Tuesday, Chile undertook the first harvests from some 400 marijuana plants kept in a guarded site in the city of Santiago. A government health agency will extract oil from the plants for use in a cancer treatment project. The project will involve about 200 patients, who will receive the drug for free.
Greater news could be just around the corner. Here’s five things you did not know about pot in Chile:
1. Right now, the country regards marijuana as a hard drug.
You can’t grow it, harvest it, sell it or transport it. Penalties can net you up to 15 years in prison.
2. It might not be too long until all that changes.
Also on Tuesday, a health panel in the lower legislative chamber gave the thumbs up on a bill which would permit the cultivation of up to six plants in every home for recreational use, as well as the carrying of up to 10 grams. Chileans still would not be able to consume it in public view, and the current penalties would apply to those who did. The bill needs to pass in both the Chilean house and senate before it goes to president Michelle Bachelet.
3. Bachelet seems open to the idea of legalization.
In her first term as president (2006-2010), Bachelet kept a conservative stance on the drug. But Infobae reports that Bachelet recently spoke to former Uruguayan president Jose Mujica about his country’s legalization of marijuana. Afterward, the Chilean president acknowledged that her administration was “in the review process” regarding legislation. She added that the current laws haven’t proved effective in reducing consumption or trafficking of the drug.
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