Uruguay's president has made it clear that his plan for legalizing marijuana in the South American nation does not mean he favours legalizing any other illicit drugs.
President Jose Mujica said in an interview Thursday with Colombia's RCN radio network that he does not yet know when his government will present Uruguay's Congress with the legislative proposal. Mujica's party dominates Congress.
He says the plan is for the government to sell marijuana at a cheap and reasonable price then monitor what each consumer uses. The idea is to take drug profits out of the hands of criminals.
Mujica says that while drug addiction is a medical problem, drug trafficking is an unwinnable police problem.
Uruguay would be the world's first nation to sell marijuana directly.
AP