Pubdate: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 2012 Associated Press Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 BILL WOULD LEGALIZE MARIJUANA CULTIVATION (AP) Uruguayans would be able to grow marijuana at home or in clubs but the state would be in charge of the trade from cultivation to sale under a government led legalization bill presented in the country's legislature Wednesday. The use of cannabis and other drugs is already legal in Uruguay, one of Latin America's safest countries and a trailblazer on liberal lawmaking, but the sale and cultivation of drugs is not. President Jose Mujica, a former leftist guerrilla fighter, says the proposed law would help undermine smuggling gangs and fight petty crime in a region hit by drugs-related violence. Critics say it risks luring more Uruguayans to harder drugs. The bill, which the government hopes will become law early next year, says the state would be responsible for managing and regulating the marijuana trade from cultivation to distribution. Mujica's allies control both houses of the legislature so the bill is expected to pass despite resistance from opposition lawmakers. It would give Uruguay some of the world's most permissive legislation on drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom