The lower house of Parliament Chile approved the legalization of marijuana for personal use

The Chamber of Deputies (Lower Chamber) of the Chile Parliament on Tuesday generally approved the legalization of marijuana for personal consumption by residents of the country, the Latercera portal reports. 68 deputies voted for this decision, 39 opposed, five abstained. Now the bill must pass the Commission of the Ministry of Health to make possible amendments and the final approval of the country by the country.

The legislative initiative will be replaced by the current law current in Chile, which provides for imprisonment for up to 15 years for the cultivation, sale and transportation of marijuana.

The new bill allows the country's residents to grow up to six cannabis plants for personal use, citizens are also allowed to have with them or keep at home less than ten grams of marijuana. At the same time, even after the decriminalization of the process of growing and owning marijuana, everyone will have to use permission from the official authorities.

People in need of marijuana use for medicinal purposes will need to present a doctor’s prescription for its acquisition, reports the Air Force . Storage of marijuana in large quantities or minors will still remain punishable. It is noteworthy that some legislators criticized the decision of the lower house of parliament, expressing the opinion that this will increase the spread of drugs in the country.

Chile is not the first country in Latin America that legalizes marijuana. So, at the end of 2013, Uruguay was the first in the worldto adopt a law according to which residents of the country can independently grow marijuana in limited quantities, as well as buy up to 40 grams of marijuana monthly in pharmacies upon presentation of a special card. They should start selling marijuana through pharmacies in this country this year.

In January 2014, Colorado became the first state in the United States to legalized the use of marijuana. In January 2015, the medical use of marijuana, including children, was legalized in Illinois. Then the Jamaica government approved a bill allowing to store a small amount of marijuana. Storage of a limited amount of marijuana is also legalized in Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico.