Today we are all Uruguayan

It is summer in Uruguay and weed is legal.

Uruguay is a small country of about 3.3 million people. It is one of the most developing and prosperous countries in South America. It is also the first country on the planet to outright legalize weed for adult use.

This is a bold statement to the world and a historic development in the quest to end cannabis prohibition. Uruguay will regulate the legal cannabis market, allowing any adult to purchase up to 40 grams (1.4 ounces) of cannabis per month from pharmacies, or grow 6 plants for their personal use. The program is aimed at proving a regulated cannabis market is a safer alternative to the failures of the continued drug enforcement resources being wasted fighting to keep cannabis illegal.

This courageous experiment is a game changer. It forces the world to look the evils of cannabis prohibition in the eye, and face the fact that it is an absolute failure. It puts the international community on notice and will force the hand of the United Nation’s, which is already very divided on the US led Drug War according to a rare leaked document published by the Guardian. Uruguay’s decision to move forward in fully legalizing cannabis will make the issue more difficult to ignore and suppress. The world will have to have an honest dialogue about weed and the rights of grow-ass people to use it as they please. I for one cannot wait.

Anyone who has looked at the subject with honest eyes knows that the war on drugs has been one of the biggest debacles of recent history. It has made criminals out of our friends and neighbors and has sparked some of the most violent conflicts in human history to control these illegal markets. It is absolute madness to believe that we should continue these policies; and Uruguay’s decision to legalize cannabis is the first, and likely most difficult, step in many that will hopefully be taken to change how we manage and control the drug trade on planet earth.

Uruguay declaring their independence from the madness is a wake up call for every one. It draws a line in the sand that cannot be ignored or dismissed. It provides a basic human right to people who enjoy cannabis, or who use it as a medicine, and will expose what a fraud the war on cannabis has been for all of these years.

Prohibitionists know this. You will hear them scream and yell. They will do everything in their power to undermine this program and declare it irrelevant; but the evidence will be there for all to see. The sky will not fall in Uruguay. Society will not collapse. There will be no outbreak of deranged crazies. More kids will not be lighting up. None of their drug war myths of what might happen if we legalized will come true, and they will be forced to face their decades of bold-faced lies.

The scariest thing for drug warriors to imagine is going to happen. Uruguay is going to legalize weed and their society and economy will be better off as a result. Their lies and fear mongering bullshit will never happen, and they will be left holding the bag of deception they have created over the years. It is going to be awesome.

Uruguay’s courage and eventual successes will be a historic crack in he walls of prohibition. It will continue to crumble as more countries find their voice and follow their lead. The end is near and they all know it.

I salute Uruguay and stand with them. Today we are all Uruguayan. These policies will not destroy themselves and Uruguay’s efforts will make it an undeniable reality that the global community can no longer ignore.  This shot heard ’round the world rings loudly and will accelerate the ending of prohibition in ways that we cannot even begin to consider in this moment of joy. Thank you, Uruguay for your strength and courage. May all nations rise up to meet you on your journey and join you in ending one of the most disastrous policies our world has ever known.

#legalbysummer