EspañolThe Uruguayan Senate began debating its bill to liberalize marijuana at 10:30 a.m. UYST today (7:30 a.m. EST). And they did not finish until 9:45 p.m., when they voted and approved the proposal from the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) Party with a 16 to 13 majority.

The opposition criticized various parts of the initiative: the potential for greater drug dependence, harm, and addiction, the potential for marijuana tourism, and the law’s alleged unconstitutionality.

The Frente Amplio countered that the goal was not increased consumption but better care of public health — recognizing the broad failure of drug prohibition. Senator Luis Gallo stressed that it is the first experience in the world — at least in the modern era — of regulation that encompasses both consumption and supply.