Chile: call for the resumption of the bill on the decriminalization of all uses of cannabis

In Chile, members of the opposition have signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of the bill that sought to decriminalize all uses of cannabis. The project was introduced in 2014 by Liberal Party Representative Vlado Mirosevic but had stalled in the Health Committee. A total of 18 representatives signed the petition, which was officially submitted to Parliament last Friday. Most of them are from the Democratic Revolution But, in truth, the support is bipartisan, with many members of Congress coming from the other eight parties.

Putting an End to Drug Trafficking

This initiative comes a few days after the Army's commander-in-chief, Ricardo Martínez, mentions the fact that Some military personnel were selling weapons to drug traffickers. This announcement reignited the national debate on drug trafficking and corruption. The idea behind the bill was to allow personal cultivation so that medical and recreational users would have an alternative to the black market. This would reduce the scale of the black market and weaken the power of drug traffickers.

Another justification for the bill concerns individual freedoms: everyone has the right to do as they please with their own body as long as they do not harm others. Cannabis use is fairly common in Chile, and the goal is to stop labeling users as criminals. As early as 2014, The former president of Chile had personally come out in favor of decriminalization and legalization: «What is clear is that in Chile in 2002, there were 10,000 arrests per year for drug trafficking, and 10 years later, that number had increased eightfold to 82,000. It’s time for Chile to grow up.».

The law authorizes the possession of 10 grams for personal use, the cultivation of 6 plants covering a total area of one square meter indoors under artificial light, and the possession of 500 grams per household. Patients who wish to grow and use cannabis for medical purposes must obtain a prescription from a doctor, whether a general practitioner or a specialist. Furthermore, minors are permitted to smoke under adult supervision and with their parents’ consent.

The Chamber of Deputies had approved the text during a plenary session in 2015 by a vote of 68 to 39, with 5 abstentions, but the bill had to go back to the Health Committee, where it has been stalled ever since. Four years after its introduction, the bill has still not been brought before the Senate.