The PoliTics of evaluaTing cannabis RegulaTion in uRuguay1

Abstract

Evaluation of the impacts of recent cannabis regulation policies includes important political dimensions and should not be reduced either to binary verdicts of success versus failure, or to a unidimensional assessment criteria. Based on the Uruguayan case, the article discusses the complexity of evaluating the results of cannabis regulation, assessing, among other aspects, the political dynamics surrounding implementation. In the case presented, the predominance of concerns about crime and public security was a decisive factor.