Chile Takes First Step to Legalizing Marijuana: President Bachelet Signs Decree Authorizing Sale of Cannabis-Derived Medicines

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has signed a decree that removes marijuana from the country's hard drug list.

The document hasn't been published officially but a copy was obtained by the Associated Press last week, the Washington Post reported. The new decree also permits the sale of medicines derived from cannabis at pharmacies.

Chile is joining the likes of Latin American countries, such as Uruguay, Colombia, and Puerto Rico, relieving restrictions on marijuana for medical or personal use, the Washington Post further reported. Planting, selling, and moving the drug is still illegal in Chile and has a punishable offense which could result in 5-10 years of imprisonment. However, Congress is expected to discuss extensive changes to the nation's drug law.

In October 2014, a Chilean municipality started planting Chile's first ever legal medical marijuana as part of a pilot program approved by the government, the news outlet added. The program targets helping cancer patients suffering from pain.

Chile's move to decriminalize cannabis was first announced in July. According to the Independent, 68 members of the Congress voted in favor of the bill while 39 individuals disagreed. The announcement was regarded as a huge step modifying the country's socially conservative position on drugs.

Those who voted against the bill criticized the eventual outcome of easing restrictions on marijuana, saying it would only encourage drug usage throughout Chile especially on students and young people, the Independent added.

After the vote, communist lawmaker, Karol Cariola, who is a member of Bachelet's leftist coalition, told the press that decriminalizing marijuana is significant for Chile. She called the vote "a historic day for medicinal users" and those "who wish to stop being persecuted and be able to access a medicine that they can grow in their gardens," the news outlet added. Chileans are now able to grow six plants at home, permitting the possession of up to 10 grams (0.35 ounce).

Santiago, Chile's capital, was the location of Latin America's first medical marijuana farm earlier this year, the Guardian wrote. The experimental project captured the interest of people in Chile, a country where cannabis consumption is higher than any nation in the region and where support for drug legalization is raising, surveys found.

The oppressive dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet from 1973-1990 turned Chile as one of Latin America's most conservative nations, the Guardian noted. But social attitudes in the country are now changing. Leftwing governments are now paving the way for a more liberal path in certain issues, such as LGBT civil unions and abortion.