乌拉圭欲实行大麻销售国有化

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 dealers¹ 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 prohibition² of certain drugs is creating more problems for society than the drugs themselves... with disastrous³ consequences," Mr Fernandez Huidobro said, presenting the bill.

"Homicides related to settling scores have increased, and that's a clear sign that certain phenomena⁴ 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 cocaine⁵.

The new bill envisages⁶ that some shops would be allowed to sell marijuana cigarettes at a price fixed⁷ 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.