ON JULY 31st the lower house of Uruguay’s congress narrowly voted to legalise the production, sale and consumption of marijuana (cannabis). The bill has passed to the Senate, where it is expected to be approved with a comfortable margin. If it does, it will be signed into law by President José Mujica, who has long backed the proposal. By the end of the month it may be legal to light up a joint while watching the sun set over Punta del Este. Drug-law reformers hailed the bill’s progress as “historic”. But plenty of other countries, from Portugal to the United States, have loosened up their drug laws in recent years. What makes Uruguay’s proposals different?
