Uruguay becomes first country to legalize marijuana

[quote]Uruguayan President Jose Mujica is no stranger to revolution. As a leader of the Tupamaros guerrilla group in the 1960s and 1970s, he orchestrated an armed uprising against financial institutions and the Uruguayan government — attacks that included political kidnappings and assassinations. He was captured in 1972, escaped twice and eventually spent 14 years in prison, including more than a decade in solitary confinement. Now, he finds himself heading a new rebellion, leading Uruguay on the path to become the world’s first country to legalize marijuana. Late Tuesday, Uruguay’s Senate took an historic step and voted to approve a measure championed by Mujica that regulates the production, distribution and sale of marijuana for adults. In doing so, the tiny nation of 3.3 million adds momentum to the movement building in Latin America — and in U.S., where Colorado and Washington state have already done so — to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. “It’s a wonderful sequel to what Washington and Colorado did last year, and it’s going to stir up a new level of debate and discussion,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “In the same way that Colorado and Washington had an impact on public opinion, I think the step Uruguay is taking can have an analogous impact in the regional and, to some extent, international context.”[/quote] You can read the full article in the link above. What's your opinion on the War on Drugs, and this new approach to combating the trafficking of illicit substances?