The president of Uruguay has been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. According to his advocates, José "Pepe" Mujica's much talked-about marijuana legalization is in fact "a tool for peace and understanding."
The leader of the South American state has championed the controversial legislation as a way to destroy the illegal drugs trade in Uruguay.
"I'm very thankful to these people for honoring me," Uruguay's president responded in Havana. "We are only proposing the right to try another path because the path of repression doesn't work. We don't know if we'll succeed. We ask for support, scientific spirit and to understand that no addiction is a good thing. But our efforts go beyond marijuana - we're taking aim at the drug traffic"
The Drugs Peace Institute, which has supported Mujica's marijuana legalization drive since 2012, insists that the consumption of marijuana should be protected as a human right
Despite an avalanche of global criticism, in late December Uruguay became the first country in the world to fully legalize the production and sale of the popular herbal drug. The new law comes into full effect in early April.
