Jonas von Hoffmann (2015, Politics) publishes article on the legalisation of marijuana in Uruguay

Jonas von Hoffmann (2015, Politics) has published an article in the Journal of Politics in Latin America on the marijuana legalisation process in Uruguay, which explains why it became the first country in the world to legalise the drug.

The article, “Someone has to be the First”: Tracing Uruguay’s Marijuana Legalisation Through Counterfactuals, is open access and can be read by clicking here.

Drawing on extensive original research and unprecedented review of secondary sources, the article assesses alternative explanatory accounts as to why, in 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalise marijuana. The article shows how and why political will and social mobilisation influenced both the reform process and outcome. In doing so, the article cuts through the haze of rival explanations to present the clearest picture of drug policy reform in Uruguay to date.

Activists celebrate the cannabis bill being passed in front of Congress in Uruguay