The international dimension of drug policy reform in Uruguay

In 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legally regulate cannabis from seed to smoke. A growing body of research addresses drug policy reform in Uruguay. However, existing studies have almost completely elided its international dimension, treating the process as exclusively domestic phenomenon.

To consider the international dimension of drug policy reform in Uruguay, the paper draws on primary and secondary sources such as existing studies, media reports, official documents, parliamentary debates and interviews with stakeholders and policy analysts from Uruguay and elsewhere.

The paper shows that, when, and, how international factors and actors contributed to Uruguay's drug policy reform process. Two ways in which the international dimension manifested itself are identified. First, as drug policy debate around the world changed, the context for reforms in Uruguay evolved. This resulted in a rather mixed international reaction to Uruguay's reform proposal. Second, international actors became directly involved in the process. Drug policy experts informed and legitimated cannabis reform and transnational advocates supported campaigning and mobilisation in Uruguay.

By unearthing the international dimension of Uruguay's drug policy reform, the paper adds a novel perspective to the study of drug policy reform in the Uruguay.