Once adopted, Uruguay will be the first nation in modern history to regulate the licensed production and sale of cannabis.
"This is an attempt to bring an end to the illegal drugs trade by identifying the market and bringing it into the light of day," said President Mujica in a statement.
Commenting on the forthcoming law change, NORML Communications Director Erik Altieri said, "Uruguay's efforts are historic, but they are hardly an isolated event. In both the US and abroad, public and political support for marijuana criminalization is collapsing - and rightly so."
Under the pending law, residents of the South American nation will be able to legally purchase up to 40 grams of cannabis per month. (Sales to non-residents will not be permitted.) Price controls will set the cost of cannabis available at state-stores to $1 per gram. The forthcoming law would also allow households to grow up to six cannabis plants each; it also allows for the establishment of cooperatives, which will be able to grow as many as 99 plants.
Specific regulations overseeing the new policy are anticipated to be in place 120 days after the measure is signed into law.
The possession of personal use amounts of cannabis in Uruguay is not presently subject to criminal penalties; however, marijuana cultivation and sale are classified as criminal offenses.
Indiana: Majority Of Adults Support Regulating Cannabis Like Alcohol
Muncie, IN: A majority of Indiana residents say that marijuana should be legally regulated like alcohol and nearly 80 percent of Hoosiers support taxing it, according to statewide polling data released by the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University.
Fifty-two percent of respondents said that cannabis "should be regulated like alcohol." Forty-five percent of respondents opposed legalization. Among self-identified Democrats, 64 percent of respondents backed regulation. Forty-nine percent of self-identified Republicans did so.
Hoosiers support for taxing cannabis was significantly higher. Seventy-eight percent of respondents, including strong majorities of both major political parties, answered 'yes' to the question, "Should we tax marijuana like alcohol/cigarettes?" Only 19 percent of respondents opposed the idea.
Under state law, first-time marijuana possession offenses of under 30 grams are punishable by up to one-year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Subsequent offenses are classified as felonies, punishable by up to 3 years incarceration.
Six hundred randomly selected Indiana residents participated in the survey, which has a margin of error of +/- 4.8 percent.
Statewide polls have recently reported similar levels of support for legalizing marijuana in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Texas.
According to an October 2013 nationwide Gallup poll, 58 percent of Americans believe that marijuana should be legal, an all-time high.
California: Majority Of Adults Back Marijuana Legalization In 2013 Field Poll
San Francisco, CA: A majority of California voters says that cannabis should be legal to possess and purchase, according to the results of the 2013 annual Field Poll. The poll has been measuring Californians' support for legalizing cannabis since 1969, when just 13 percent of respondents supported legalization.
Forty-seven percent of respondents backed legalizing marijuana "with age and other controls, like those for alcohol." An additional eight percent of respondents supported legalizing marijuana without any restrictions.
Only 31 percent of respondents said that they supported the strict enforcement of present laws or enacting tougher laws against cannabis.
Fifty-six percent of respondents also said that they would vote 'yes' in favor of a proposed 2014 ballot measure to legalize the plant's production, possession, and sale.
A previous statewide poll conducted in October by the state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties reported that 65 percent of likely voters would support a proposal "to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in California for adults."
The Field Poll surveyed opinions of 1,002 randomly selected California voters. The poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.
