Draft law on cannabis tourism presented in Uruguay

In Uruguay, lawmakers from the Broad Front, a party led by José Mujica—who had spearheaded the legalization of cannabis in the country in 2014—presented a bill on cannabis tourism in Uruguay during the first Forum on Tourism and Cannabis in Punta del Este on Friday, December 10.

Opposition representatives Eduardo Antonini and Sebastián Sabini, along with Senator Alejandro Sánchez, will introduce a bill aimed at allowing tourists access to recreational cannabis and its derivatives. Tourists would then be able to purchase cannabis at pharmacies and in Uruguayan cannabis clubs.

Furthermore, according to La Diaria, the proposal aims to amend a section of Law No. 14,294 to allow for an increase in the maximum number of members in cannabis clubs from 45 to 200 and in the maximum number of plants from 99 to 300. The reason for this initiative, as stated in the bill, is to alleviate the economic and social crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

«This initiative will certainly boost the economic recovery process that our country so desperately needs, creating new opportunities for economic and employment growth,» the text states, according to Uruguayan media reports.

The 'pioneering example» can be found in the Netherlands, where the existence of coffeeshops, »has attracted a very large and steady stream of visitors for decades. This is a unique selling point when travelers are choosing a destination,” the lawmakers state in the document reviewed by the newspaper.

At the same time, it should be noted that similar ideas have been put forward by the ruling party. In September, Daniel Radío, secretary general of the National Drug Secretariat, stated that they were considering lifting restrictions for tourists, but that «this will not happen in the short term.».