Legal marijuana: the countries of America that have legalized cannabis and those that have not

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(CNN Spanish) - In Latin America at least seven countries have approved marijuana for medicinal purposes, and only one, Uruguay, legalized its use for recreational purposes, becoming the first country in the world to do so.

On September 17 of this year, Ecuador joined the list of countries that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes; In Colombia - which in 2016 legalized medical marijuana - a debate opened that will be taken to Congress to legalize its recreational use.

Countries like Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Paraguay have also approved medical cannabis. In Puerto Rico, marijuana for medicinal purposes is also authorized.

In Mexico, the recreational use of marijuana remains illegal despite the fact that the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation authorized in 2015 the use and cultivation of marijuana for the purpose of self-consumption and recreation for four people who requested it.

Countries where it is illegal

In countries like Bolivia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Dominican Republic and Venezuela, the use of marijuana in any case is illegal.

In Brazil, the Drug Law punishes the possession and consumption of drugs. And since 2015, the Brazilian Supreme Court discusses the decriminalization of the transport and personal consumption of illicit substances, but so far it has not reached a conclusion. Although medical marijuana is not legalized in Brazil, the National Agency for Health Surveillance (ANVISA) included cannabis sativa in 2017 on the official list of medicines.

“Inclusion does not change the rules for importing cannabidiol or other marijuana extracts. Nor is the measure an authorization or recognition of cannabis as a medicinal plant, ”says ANVISA. That is, the substances of the plant are authorized, but not the plant itself.

In Panama, however, although a bill has been presented to regulate it for medicinal purposes, it is allowed to “register cannabidiol and use it for medical purposes,” according to the Ministry of Health.

In Costa Rica, cannabis is a substance prohibited by law, and although it criminalizes its production, distribution and sale, it does not consider its use as a crime, but as a public health problem, as a disease that needs treatment and rehabilitation, according to the National Drug Consumption Survey of the Institute of Drugs and Drug Dependence of Costa Rica, published in 2012.

Other countries

After Uruguay, Canada was the second country in the world, and the first country in the G7, to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.

With this legislation, adults can carry and share up to 30 grams of legal marijuana in public. They can also grow up to four plants in their homes and prepare products such as those that can be eaten for personal use.

Consumers buy marijuana from retailers regulated by provinces, territories or, when none of these options are available, federally licensed producers. Marijuana will not be sold in the same place as alcohol or tobacco.

Meanwhile, eleven states in the United States and the District of Columbia now allow recreational use of marijuana. Medical marijuana is legal in some way in 30 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Anyone over the age of 21 can buy medical marijuana in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

The marijuana industry recorded sales of almost $ 9 billion in 2017 in the United States alone, according to BDS Analytics. The income from these sales is equivalent to the whole candy industry.

Portugal is a pioneer when it comes to drug reform laws, as this country decriminalized the possession of all drugs, not only cannabis, for personal use in 2001. As a result, the country has the most evidence on the impact and the change it can have in drug policy in the country.

Ireland, Australia, Jamaica and Germany approved measures in 2016 for medicinal use, while Australia also granted companies permission to apply for licenses to manufacture or grow marijuana products for medicinal purposes and conduct related research.

The high courts in South Africa and Georgia also revoked cannabis prohibitions, legalizing the plant for individual use.

And about medical cannabis, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Kingdom approved the use of the plant in 2018.

In late November, Luxembourg, the small European nation, announced that marijuana would soon be legalized for recreational use for adults.

Marijuana use Medicinal marijuana