With the intent of undermining the market for illegal drugs , Uruguay 's government presented a bill to lawmakers that would legalize marijuana under a government monopoly . The government of President Jose Mujica has argued that the war on drugs has failed , and that separating the market for marijuana from the market for harder drugs will have social and health benefits . The bill was presented to congress on Wednesday , and includes no details of how legalization would be cultivated , regulated or sold . But it makes it clear that the government would be the sole manager of the `` importation , production , acquisition ... commercialization and distribution of marijuana or its derivatives . '' The idea was first announced in June , and at the time there were reports that such a law would require onerous identification and tracking requirements that consumers would object to . Read more about how Brazil is fighting the war on drugs . The bill does not mention any requirements , presumably leaving it up to the congress to fill in the details . Diego Canepa , pro-secretary of the presidency , said that current laws criminalizing the private sale of marijuana would remain in place , and campaigns warning of dangers of drug use would continue . `` No one is saying that marijuana is good . What is happening is that the foundation of the type of policy that we have followed for more than 50 years in this country have not had the expected results , and the worst thing that can happen to public policy is to not act when the evidence shows that persisting on the same path will not obtain different results , '' he said . Consumption of marijuana is already legal in Uruguay , Canepa said . If passed , the law would make Uruguay the first country to produce and sell marijuana to its citizens . While the bill itself was short on details of how such a system would actually work , it was accompanied by a 12-page letter that carefully laid out the argument for passage of the bill . The goal is to create a government-run market that would `` contribute to the reduction of risks and potential dangers that people who use marijuana for recreation or medical reasons face . '' Read : Is Puerto rico the forgotten front in America 's drug war ? Marijuana users put themselves in dangerous situations in the course of acquiring the substance , and expose themselves to other drugs that are more addictive and dangerous , the letter states . The letter traces the history of drug use to pre-Columbian times , but focuses on the drug war of the last 50 years . The war on drugs has failed and had consequences that are worse than the drugs themselves , the letter states . As evidence , the Uruguayan government points to a report last year by the Global Commission on Drugs , a body made up of several former presidents and other luminaries , who concluded that the war on drugs has failed to accomplish the goals it set . Uruguay will not abandon its policy of combating drugs , but will do so through education of the harmful effects , rather than criminalization for marijuana , the letter states . Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in Uruguay , and drug traffickers net $ 30-40 million annual from the black market , the government said .
The Uruguayan government presented lawmakers with a bill this week . It would allow the government to control and sell marijuana . The bill did not specify how such a system would work .