The Americas | Uruguayan drug legalisation

Thinking the unthinkable

A bold, if fuzzy, proposal

Soon to be used for dope?
|MONTEVIDEO

RECENTLY Latin American leaders have begun to rebel against rigid drug prohibition and the decades-long “war” on drugs. So when Uruguay's government this month released a document suggesting it would legalise and take control of the sale of cannabis in the country, this seemingly bold step attracted much media attention. Not so fast: the proposal amounts to one line in a 20-page report on the government's strategy for tackling rising crime. And the details have not been hammered out even among members of President José Mujica's cabinet, let alone in the country's Congress. Nevertheless, something is stirring in Uruguay.

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Thinking the unthinkable”

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