By a majority vote, members of the Environment Committee accepted a report which argues that the legalization of both the cultivation and recreational use of marijuana will not eliminate illicit trafficking of this drug.
A majority of five legislators from the Legislative Environment Committee embraced a report on Tuesday that advises shelving the project for the legalization of recreational marijuana, a proposal initially set forth by the government.
Votes came from members of the National Liberation Party (PLN) and the New Republic Party (PNR).
The group adopted a report urging all members of the committee, consisting of nine legislators from various political parties, to vote against the file.
Among the main arguments made was the notion that legalizing both the cultivation and recreational use of marijuana won’t eradicate its illicit trade. On the contrary, Oscar Izquierdo of the PLN maintains that such a measure would force authorities to work harder to bolster their enforcement capabilities.
“Currently, we lack up-to-date, reliable technical studies on the real behaviors of the markets; there’s no study that assesses the market divided between legal and illegal, nor on the levels of THC in the product to be offered,” stated Izquierdo.
The legislative block also weighed the potential adverse effects in terms of public safety and health that might arise from marijuana legalization. These concerns are shared by Gilbert Jiménez, a PLN legislator and chairman of the committee, and Rosalía Brown from PNR.
The recommendation was backed by legislators Izquierdo, Jiménez, and Katherine Moreira from PLN, as well as Brown and David Segura from PNR.
In contrast, opposing the report were Priscila Vindas of the Broad Front (FA); Kattia Cambronero from the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), and Manuel Morales of the ruling party. Despite their efforts, this smaller group, being in the minority, couldn’t get approval for a report that advocates continuing the legislative process of the project, albeit with modifications.
The final vote on the core issue will be conducted next week, as indicated by Jiménez. Even if the majority block decides to issue a negative opinion, the chairman of the committee emphasized that the text would remain under consideration as it will be forwarded to the full legislative body along with a positive minority report.
Both will be subjected to discussion, where all 57 legislators of the plenary session have the authority to vote once the opinions are known.
