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Uruguay's Vázquez moves against marijuana plan
Buenos Aires Herald Thursday 05 Mar 2015 The move, coming just one day after the government seemed to harden its position toward Venezuela, indicates that Vázquez is keen to draw a line between his administration and that of the former president, who is affectionately referred to as “Pepe.” Mujica, who forced a decriminalization and reform package through Congress in December of 2013, was a keen promoter of the initiative, arguing that the war on drugs had failed and that it was time to take a different approach. Vázquez, on the other hand, has often expressed his doubts about altering the law. In fact, the president, who is a doctor specialized in oncology, told the local media last year he found it “incredible” that marijuana would be sold in pharmacies and that he would “pay close attention to the effects of the plan (law) to evaluate if it is necessary to back- track (the law).” Differentiation Just one day after taking power, the first sign of a difference in approach between the two Uruguayan leaders was in foreign policy. Vice-President Raúl Sendic, Vázquez’s number two, took a considerably colder position toward Venezuela and its President Nicolás Maduro. Sendic, referring to Maduro’s repeated accusations that the United States is conspiring with the opposition to overthrow him, said the government in Montevideo didn’t have any evidence of “external interference.” It was a noticeable shift — just a week ago, Mujica had warned of the possibility of a leftist military coup in Venezuela, illustrating his support for the under-fire leader. Although Mujica and Vázquez belong to the same Broad Front political coalition, both their personalities and political views are different. Gabriel Pereyra, a journalist of El Observador newspaper, described both leaders this week in an opinion column as “multipurpose colossi.” Mujica, he wrote, represents the leftist wing of the party, while Vázquez is aligned with the more conservative end of the Broad Front coalition, with more moderate opinions and shy personality. Until further notice It was left to the new Secretary of the National Commission on Drugs of Uruguay, Milton Romani, to announce yesterday that the sale of marijuana in pharmacies would be postponed until further notice, “in order to implement the law correctly and avoid mistakes.” He added that the marijuana legislation did not impose any deadlines for implementation and stressed that Vázquez had told him that his government would “comply with the law,” hinting the plan will go ahead at some point. In December 2013, Uruguay legalized the cultivation, sale and smoking of marijuana to fight drug-trafficking, the government said at the time. Up to now, Romani said, 15 cannabis smoking clubs have either received a permit or are in the process of obtaining one. Almost 2,000 civilians have been awarded authorizations to grow cannabis in their homes. Asked about the reasons behind the delay for the roll-out, Mujica said that the country needs time “to grow different varieties” of cannabis and “to plant the clones,” which then have to be certified to prevent another country from growing them. “The problem is not simple. It has its technical difficulties,” he added. On the economic front, Uruguay’s Economy Minister Danilo Astori said yesterday he was optimistic that annual inflation will drop to between three and seven percent over the next 18 months. “We are very close to reaching our objective. After 10 consecutive months of deceleration of inflation, I think we can be optimistic,” Astori said. http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/183510/uruguays-v%C3%A1zquez-moves-against-marijuana-plan-
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