Victory for medical cannabis in Uruguay's as new President commits to legalising cannabis

Leftwing Tabaré Vázquez won clear victory in Sunday’s presidential poll, and will stand by legislation to introduce world’s first state-run marijuana marketplace

 The overwhelming victory of a leftwing candidate in Uruguay’s presidential runoff vote this weekend means that the tiny South American country will move ahead with its plan to create the world’s first state-run marijuana marketplace.

But Tabaré Vázquez has made it very clear he has concerns about the marijuana law passed by his predecessor, José “Pepe” Mujica, the popular president from his own Frente Amplio (Broad Front) progressive party, whom he will succeed in March.

 
 “There’s going to be a strict and close evaluation of the effect on society of this law,” Vázquez warned during his electoral campaign. Although the president-elect has said he will stand by legalization, his attitude to marijuana is ambivalent.

An oncologist by profession, Vázquez, 74, made health issues one of the main concerns during his previous presidential term between 2005 and 2010, and has declared himself worried over the health implications of marijuana sales. “First of all, you shouldn’t consume drugs,” he said in a recent television interview in which he described the law as primarily an “experiment”.

Continue reading: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/01/uruguay-vazquez-legal-marijuana?CMP=twt_gu