Uruguay on Tuesday became the first country in the world where growing, selling and smoking of marijuana has been legalised, a controversial social experiment that contravenes the International Drug Treaties.
The government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate for the legalisation of cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana comes even after UN narcotics body had warned that the bill would be against international law.
The International Narcotics Control Broad (INCB) had said in August that it was concerned about Uruguayan approval of legalising marijuana and warned the South American country that the law would "be in complete contravention to the provisions of the international drug treaties to which Uruguay is party".
The INCB is an independent body of experts working under the United Nationsto monitor countries' compliance with international drug treaties.