Photo By: AFP PHOTO/ Pablo PORCIUNCULA
Uruguay has enjoyed general stability in economic, political, and social terms when compared to its neighbors. By embracing a policy of high taxes and prioritizing the economic wellbeing of its citizens and the nation overall, some venture to call it the “Switzerland of South America”. Nevertheless, every nation’s history comes with its tribulations, and Uruguay suffered violence and losses especially in the 1970s with the onset of a civic-military regime put in place by Juan Maria Bordaberry. Bordaberry came from a rich Uruguayan family who made their money off of agriculture and cattle. He studied to be a lawyer, but began his political career in 1959 by joining the White Party. Later, in 1962 he became a senator. He held several other political positions before his rise to presidency in 1972 such as Minister of Agriculture and leader of the Federal League of Rural Action. Although he was democratically elected, on June 27th,1973 he began to build his autocratic and authoritarian regime by dissolving parliament and prohibiting political parities. He also created a Council of State which was controlled by the military and made it the most powerful body in the Uruguayan government. Newspaper El País highlights that the difference between Bordaberry and the dictators in neighboring countries was that Bordaberry himself was a civilian. Not a military general like Augusto Pinochet who took down Salvador Allende in a military coup in 1973 or like Juan Peron who implemented a Socialist Dictatorship in Argentina. Nevertheless, a pattern that is followed in most dictatorships lies in the close relationship between the dictator and the military, and Uruguay was no exception. Bordaberry was only able to rule Uruguay as a dictator for three years —until 1976—but during that short period of time controlled the nation with an iron fist. There were around 5,000 political prisons, and torture was a popular method to control dissidents. Many were also killed tortured and disappeared under Operation Condor, a system used by countries in Southern South America to silence and control its opponents. Bordaberry’s medicine became his poison when his allies in the armed forces forced him to leave his position as he wanted to further solidify his ban on political parties. The military maintained power until 1985 when the nation’s first democratic elections were held after 12 years of civic-military rule. Julio Maria Sanguinetti won the first elections, and started reforming the Uruguayan economy and focused on rebuilding the nation.
Uruguay has seen economic security and political stability for the most part after its quarrels with democracy, and this ease in management of policies and politics led them to be pioneers in an unexpected industry: Cannabis. The fateful day was on June 2012 when then President Jose Mujica proposed a bill to legalize production, distribution, and consumption of marijuana in order to "improve public health and tackle the increasing violence and drug problems facing the country,” as stated by the Centre for Public Impact. He consolidated his proposal in a fifteen point plan that aimed to tackle growing insecurity relating to drugs. Drug trade has led to horrible violence in countries all around the world, but Latin America has suffered especially with the rise of gangs and violence surrounding the trade. Although the proposal was met with skepticism and sometimes outright rage, Congress proved the law on December 24th, 2014 making Uruguay the first country in the world to fully legalize recreational marijuana. The decision was made from a purely political standpoint. It was not based on pressure on governments to allow social and recreational marijuana as happened in California, rather it was a measure implemented to weaken the black market, reduce gang conflict and crimes, and improve the health of drug users as they would no longer be exposed to fraudulent product purchased illicitly. The government did not make this decision lightly, and they were meticulous about making this transition in a way that would not exacerbate the dangers of drugs. Customers are only allowed to buy ten grams of marijuana a week and the government has full control over the THC levels in the drug, meaning that the psychoactive element in marijuana is balanced with the CBD level. Furthermore, in order to grow marijuana personally, the individual interested in doing so has to consult and go through the Institute for Regulation and Control of Cannabis.
The legalization of Cannabis although greatly focused on its political impact has also led to the growth of the industry in terms of medicinal Marijuana. Marijuana has proven to be a plant with easing properties that help people suffering with chronic pain and other afflictions. By April 2019, Uruguay started exporting cannabis extract and dried marijuana flowers to Europe, especially Germany which is one of the world’s leading consumers of medical marijuana. Around 700,000 people in Germany used products derived from the marijuana plant as medicine. This new industry created novel bonds between Latin America and Europe as Cansativa CmbH, the German company which began the trade with Uruguay, became the first company to join Europe and Latin America in the trade of this product. Although Uruguay was the first to legalize marijuana, other Latin American countries have taken steps in order to become a part of the marijuana industry. Colombia, for example, has long suffered with drugs and the violent consequences that result from the trade and consumption, and they too have legalized cannabis consumption in personal and restricted doses. Like Uruguay, this measure was taken in order to take away the knife the black market holds over the nations’ heads. Drug trade continues to be a problem that plagues Colombia, and the consequences are horrible as they create conflict that leads to the death of hundreds of people every year. Both nations have tried their hands at the medical marijuana industry and this can be seen in the founding of Clever Leaves of Colombia and the Fotmer Life Sciences of Uruguay, companies that sell cannabis extract for medicinal purposes
The legalization of drugs such as marijuana dances on a very fine line. It is indisputable that drugs have negative effects on the user, and that they should be avoided. However, it is easy to understand the decision to legalize the product as many countries are in delicate positions, suffering from violence and instability due to restrictions imposed against the drugs. Defining whether decriminalizing marijuana is still up for ardent debate, and if the decision is made to legalize the substance, it has to be done considering every minutia. Drugs have cause endless pain, suffering, violence, and conflict, and nations all around the world are trying to find the best way to continue fighting against these deadly substances. It is possible that the solution lies somewhere in between extreme policies, as it is also possible that a “no tolerance mindset” is the way to go. Nevertheless, it is important to understand the intricacies and impacts of drugs in politics, in the international stage, and also on a personal scale. Drugs are substances that are not going away. What's more, they seem closer to becoming an integrated part of society, but it is important to understand their consequences and inform oneself on the true impact that the substances have while also understanding the events preceding the decision to legalize drugs on behalf of certain countries. The key to understanding an issue and creating an informed perspective is to educate oneself and stay open to learning about the three-dimensional world, in which situations, people, products, and event are seldom unambiguous.
Written By: Carolina Mejia Rodriguez
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