乌拉圭欲实行大麻销售国有化-凯发k8官网

uruguay has unveiled a plan to allow state-controlled sales of marijuana to fight a rise in drug-related crime.

乌拉圭计划实行国家控制大麻销售来抵抗不断上升的毒品犯罪率。

under the bill, only the government would be allowed to sell marijuana to adults registered on a database.

defence minister eleuterio fernandez huidobro said this was part of a plan to remove profits from drug ¹ and divert（转移） users from harder drugs.

he said that the recent increase in murder rates was a clear symptom of a rise in drug trafficking（毒品走私） crimes.

ground-breaking bill

"we believe that the ² of certain drugs is creating more problems for society than the drugs themselves... with ³ consequences," mr fernandez huidobro said, presenting the bill.

"homicides related to settling scores have increased, and that's a clear sign that certain ⁴ are appearing in uruguay that didn't exist before," he said.

the authorities blame the rise in crime in uruguay on hard drugs, specifically crack ⁵.

the new bill ⁶ that some shops would be allowed to sell marijuana cigarettes at a price ⁷ by the authorities.

the government also wants to create a user database to supervise consumption.

bbc regional correspondent vladimir hernandez says the move is seen as groundbreaking in south america.

several central american leaders - including the presidents of guatemala and costa rica - have spoken of the need to consider decriminalising some drugs in an attempt to undermine cartels.

in uruguay alone, the illegal marijuana market is estimated to be worth about $75m (£48m) a year.

but the new bill has already proved controversial, and the debate in congress could take several months, our correspondent says.