Uruguay’s National Party Filed Bill To Legalize Psychedelics
By Lucía Tedesco via El Planteo — Uruguay’s National Party has filed a bill to legalize psychedelics. Led by Sen. Juan Sartori, the proposal seeks to provide access to these substances which have been proven to be an effective treatment for numerous mental health conditions.
Sartori’s bill would make access to psychoactive plants legal if prescribed by a physician. The senator also seeks to decriminalize the use, distribution and commercialization of psychedelics for scientific or medical-therapeutic uses, reported El Pais Uruguay.
If approved, psychedelics could be consumed under a psychiatrist’s supervision to guarantee safe use.
“The unregulated use and the commercial sale of substances that without a medical follow-up may imply health risks will be avoided,” Sartori said.
The natural entheogenic substances the new bill would legalize include psilocybin, methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ibogaine, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline, and psilocin. Activities such as cultivation, distribution, possession and use, not sale, would be part of the new legal framework.
Who Is Juan Sartori?
Sartori, a member of the center-right national party, has served as a senator since February 2020. A businessman, Sartori has invested in various industries including energy, real estate and cannabis.
Several years ago, Sartori founded an investment fund that appears to share similar interests as the psychedelics industry. Sartori recently said on Twitter that he seeks to “allow the medical use of natural psychoactive substances in treatments like depression and anxiety.”
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Uruguay enacts the Law No. 14.294, which classifies certain substances as controlled drugs, including LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. |
| 2013 | The Uruguayan government passes a law legalizing marijuana for personal use and possession, becoming the first country in the world to do so. |
| 2019 | The Uruguayan government approves the use of cannabis-based medicines for medical purposes, but psychedelic substances remain illegal. |
| 2021 | The first studies examining the therapeutic potential of psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of depression and anxiety begin in Uruguay. However, these studies are conducted under strict regulations and only with the approval of the government. |
Psychedelic drugs are not currently approved for use in Uruguay, except for some limited medical and research purposes. In Uruguay, as in most countries, these drugs are generally classified as controlled substances, and their possession, sale, and use is illegal without a prescription or specific authorization from the government.
