DATA
Enter
HUFFINGTON
09.29.13
SPOTLIGHT ON PORTUGAL
SOURCES: RELEASE: DRUGS, THE LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS; MATADOR NETWORK; CATO INSTITUTE. MAP BY JAN DIEHM
TAP FOR INFO
Legal
Legal for medical use only
Decriminalized (medical use may also be allowed)
Where
in the
World Is
Weed
OK?
Uruguay is the first country in the world to announce
plans to nationalize the pot business. A bill to legalize
and regulate the production, sale and consumption of
weed was passed by Uruguay’s Chamber of Deputies in
July and is set to make its way through the Senate. But
there are plenty of other places where you can smoke
freely. Marijuana is not classified as a drug in North Korea,
where smoking is a popular way for soldiers and manual
laborers to wind down after a long day. Possessing small
amounts for personal use has been decriminalized in
many European and South American countries, and the
policies have been shown to have little impact on drug
use. After Portugal eliminated criminal penalties for drug
users in 2001, shifting resources from law enforcement
to drug prevention and rehabilitation programs, a number
of metrics (see infographic for details) pointed to the
experiment’s success. Marijuana remains illegal at the
federal level in the U.S., and the Obama administration
has already spent about $300 million targeting
medical marijuana. — Katy Hall
THIS MAP REFLECTS NATIONAL POLICIES ONLY. REGIONS OF COUNTRIES THAT HAVE DECRIMINALIZED MARIJUANA ARE NOT SHOWN.