Politics Outside US

Uruguayan President Mujica has signed that country's groundbreaking marijuana legalization bill into law. The government now has 120 days to craft rules, and then Uruguay's era of legal marijuana commerce will commence.

Guatemala is considering allowing the legal, controlled cultivation of opium poppies in a bid to weaken drug trafficking.

Uruguayan President Mujica is not standing quietly by in the face of criticism from UN drug bureaucrats. Neither is his wife, an Uruguayan senator.

Uruguay's president defends marijuana legalization there and finds an ally, marijuana bills are popping up in some surprising countries, the Justice Department says we have a federal prison crisis, and much more.

It looks like Washington state medical marijuana patients will continue to be able to grow their own, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes wants to welcome pot tourists, the Michigan Senate takes aim at welfare drug users, Indian Maoists are profiting from prohibition, and more.

Uruguay legalizes the marijuana trade (and the usual suspects object), Denver provides a helpful guide to legalization there, Human Rights Watch scorches Louisiana for its AIDS-enhancing policies, and more.

In an historic vote, the Uruguayan Senate gave final approval Tuesday night to the government's marijuana legalization bill. Once President Mujica signs it, Uruguay is 120 days away from legal marijuana commerce.

Tuesday is going to be historic. Tomorrow, the Uruguayan Senate will vote on a bill that would make their country the first in the world to legally regulate the production, distribution and sale of marijuana for adults. The bill was approved in the House of Representatives in July with 50 out of 96 votes.

Human Rights Watch has issued another scathing report on the abuse of drug users and other "undesirables" in Cambodian drug detention camps. Drug treatment isn't on offer, but torture, sexual abuse, and forced labor are.