( CNN ) -- Views on marijuana are shifting , but nearly everywhere , it is too early to talk about substantive changes to drug policies . Not so in Uruguay . The small South American country is poised to become the first nation to legalize and regulate the production , sale and consumption of weed . This would place Uruguay at the vanguard of liberal drug policies , surpassing even The Netherlands , where recreational drugs are illegal but a policy of tolerance is in place . The bill , which was passed by Uruguay 's Chamber of Deputies and will be taken up by the Senate , attempts to answer the questions that inevitably arise when debating drug policy : How will marijuana be regulated ? Who will grow it ? How can the country avoid cannabis tourism ? The Uruguayan government offers specific proposals for how to manage a legal market for marijuana . The government supports the marijuana bill and says it was designed to resolve issues particular to Uruguay . But the model the bill proposes will undoubtedly be studied by other countries that grapple with the similar questions . Why Uruguay , why now ? There is a contradiction in Uruguayan law , the secretary-general of the country 's National Committee on Drugs , said : Consumption of marijuana has been legal , but its production and sale are not . `` We seek to eliminate that incongruence , '' Julio Calzada told CNN . The other tenets of the marijuana bill are to treat the use of weed as a health issue and to make a distinction between dangerous drug traffickers and consumers . The same debates about marijuana that exist in the United States -- about medicinal properties , recreational use , the impact on the justice system -- have been happening in Uruguay for a long time , Calzada said . The decision to push legislation to overhaul its drug policies did not come overnight . `` We have reflected on our problems , '' Calzada said , and the government felt that Uruguay 's tradition of tolerance and equality merited action on the marijuana issue . President Jose Mujica 's Broad Front coalition has a majority in the Senate , making passage of the marijuana bill likely when the chamber considers it in October . Then , Mujica has said , he will sign it into law . However , the progress that the bill has made is at odds with what polls say is the will of the people . According to a CIFRA/Gonzalez , Raga and Associates poll in July , 63 % of Uruguayan respondents said they disagreed with the bill . Only 26 % said they approved . The poll , which surveyed more than 1,000 Uruguayans and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points , is not much different from earlier polls published when the bill was proposed . `` The government does not overlook the polls and public opinion , '' Calzada said , but the government believes it is in the best interest of the country to go forward with the bill . It is not the executive branch , but the Congress that will pass the law , and voters will decide in the next elections whether to `` punish '' the ruling party for going against public sentiment , he said . The model . The marijuana bill could be modified by the Senate , but as it is currently written , it provides several paths for the legal production and sale of marijuana , while increasing health education about the risks of drug abuse . In short , the proposed law states that the planting , cultivating , harvesting and selling of marijuana remain illegal but adds a long list of exceptions to that rule . Households may grow up to six plants and harvest a maximum of 480 grams of weed per year . Another avenue would be the creation of `` membership clubs '' made up of between 15 and 45 people , who can grow up to 99 marijuana plants . These growing operations must be licensed by the government , and the pot will be sold to the public through pharmacies , which also will be licensed to do so . Those who grow or sell marijuana outside of these government-licensed options will be subject to prosecution and could face prison terms of 20 months to 10 years . The bill calls for the creation of a new government body -- the Institute of Regulation and Control of Cannabis -- that would be in charge of the licensing and any sanctions for noncompliance . The institute would also oversee a registry of all marijuana buyers that would be designed to ensure that those who buy marijuana are at least 18 years old and residents of Uruguay . This requirement is also meant to deter cannabis tourism to the country . The bill also instructs the health system to provide educational programs about the risks of drug use at all levels of schooling . Any direct or indirect advertising for marijuana in any media would be prohibited . A grand experiment . The government studied drug policies in many countries where marijuana is decriminalized or tolerated , but the bill that has garnered international attention was not designed to be copied . It is tailored for the problems that Uruguay faces , Calzada said . Rising drug violence `` has impacted daily life in our country , '' and regulating the market could be a solution , he said . If it becomes law , the new marijuana regulation will put Uruguay at odds with many countries that continue to pursue an aggressive policy of prohibition . But conversations about rethinking marijuana laws have sprung up in Latin America and elsewhere , and Uruguay is prepared to take any heat about its decision , Calzada said .
Uruguay is close to legalizing and regulating marijuana . If the bill becomes law , it will allow the production and sale of weed . The proposal is specific for Uruguay , but the model will be of interest to other countries . Comment: