With the opening of its first recreational marijuana outlets on July 8, Washington became the second state in the US to put into practice its cannabis regulatory framework. This follows Colorado's initiative which began on January 1 this year and has so far seen modest signs of success; tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales surpassed $10 million in the first four months of 2014, and a number of key crime indicators have fallen in urban areas -- though the latter is perhaps a tenuous link to the introduction of legal cannabis.
With two down, that leaves one to go; Uruguay. The South American state is the first ever country to legalize marijuana and the first sales are expected to take place either late this year, or early in 2015.
While much has been made of these three initiatives by both reformers and prohibitionists alike, they are by no means uniform in their approach. Uruguay, for one, has the greatest degree of state control over cultivation, production and sale of the plant, while Colorado has opted for more market influence. Washington sits somewhere in between. In an effort to highlight where these frameworks differ, we have created an infographic (which can be viewed in a larger size by clicking on it) to lay out the key areas of each law.
As all three jurisdictions are venturing into uncharted territory with their laws, the diversity between them should perhaps be praised. There will be a great deal to learn from cannabis regulatory frameworks as they evolve, and no system will be perfect. Indeed, President Jose Mujica of Uruguay has already lambasted the US approaches as sloppy. The respective mistakes and successes from each unique system should go some way toward laying the foundation for future legalization efforts.
