Puffing away the cartels

José Mujica is a courageous man. Once again, the president of Uruguay has engaged in an experiment to champion freedom in society. The first experiment was to allow same-sex marriage in his ultra-Catholic country. The second experiment - to legalize the production and sale of cannabis - is much more daring, many argue. If it fails, it will likely end the career of an unconventional politician. If it succeeds, it could change the world to a certain degree.

The anti-drug war is lost

Uruguay has taken a step that seems logical if you take a close look at it. Under the new legislation, the state will control the production of cannabis, and pharmacies will sell the high-quality drug to registered customers at a standard price determined by the state. No other country in the world has gone so far in legalizing drugs. The Economist news magazine declared Uruguay "Country of the year 2013," saying the entire world could profit from the move.

It's true, of course, that the war on drugs and cartels was lost long ago. It's a war that cost thousands of lives mainly in Latin America, paralyzed entire regions and wasted millions in public funds. Over the years, only dealers and their kingpins have been able to line their pockets. The drug trade generates more than $320 billion annually in illegal sales. When a market gets to too controlled or becomes unattractive, another one opens somewhere else.

Drug crimes across borders

That's what happed in sleepy Uruguay. One day, the dealers and their drugs arrived. Although the crime rate in the country's capital Montevideo doesn't come close to that of Bogotá or Medellin, it has risen steadily over the past few years. Many residents describe their city as "extremely unsafe." That may be exaggerated, but it describes recent developments.

The fact is, Uruguay has been swamped for quite some time with a cheap drug, called paco, a by-product of the production of cocaine. Local gangs selling the drug will be hit hard if it is taken out of their hands.

No experiment without risk

Of course, the Uruguayan experiment involves risks. No one knows whether the cartels might manage to undercut the cost of state-sold marijuana with their own dumping prices and, if need be, at the expense of quality. Also, there' a serious possibility that dealers might just move on to hard drugs.

The government, for its part, intends to prevent that move by investing in prevention and treatment, financed by revenue from marijuana sales.

The United Nations is not helpful in accusing Uruguay of violating existing accords as well as the Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The UN's formalistic and naive criticism hasn't advanced the battle against drug dealers' black markets one single centimeter. The Uruguayan experiment could well succeed if the country used all its capacities to battle organized crime rather than laboriously sending every pothead to jail.

Global precedent

Uruguay's move to legalize cannabis is not about advocating drug consumption. No one denies that marijuana consumption is dangerous, in particular for young people. But the past has shown that prohibition is no solution. Uruguay has drawn the right consequences. President Mujica has been suggested for the Nobel Peace Prize. His project could become a precedent for Latin America and the entire world – if more politicians muster the courage of the likes of José Mujica.