Former Uruguayan president José "Pepe" Mujica passed away on May 13 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy that is difficult to match. Although he claimed he never used marijuana, his image became deeply linked to it and to one of the most transformative reforms in the history of drug policy: the legalization of cannabis in Uruguay.
It all began in May 2012, with the murder of Gastón Hernández, a 34-year-old father of five, at the Montevideo pizzeria where he worked.
The crime, which caused a profound social upheaval, highlighted the growing violence associated with drug trafficking and motivated Mujica to rethink the prevailing repressive approach.
It was in this context that the historic decision to move toward state regulation of cannabis began to take shape, in the strictest secrecy.
In private meetings, Mujica and his ministers discussed possible alternatives. The idea that began to take shape was simple, yet disruptive: to take away the market from drug trafficking through state regulation. "If life is the first value, nothing is more important than peace, nothing is more important than tranquility. Neither drugs nor prison can be an option," the president said in a national broadcast on June 19, 2012, just weeks after the crime that had shocked Uruguayans.
It's important to make clear that Mujica was never complacent about drugs. "Drug use is not good, we shouldn't defend it," he said in 2014. However, he was able to understand that prohibition offered no sustainable solutions. "We don't defend marijuana, we defend freedom," he said repeatedly. With that logic, his government took the path of regulating what had previously been left to organized crime.
With his death, we bid farewell not only to a former president, but to the man who, without ever having smoked a joint in his life, dared to change the history of cannabis and made it known that regulation was a form of protection.
Long life and all our gratitude to Pepe Mujica wherever he may be.
