Uruguay’s presidential candidate wants to roll back landmark pot law

Uruguay's leading opposition candidate said he would try to repeal much of the country's ground-breaking marijuana law, which permits the commercial production and sale of the drug, if he wins Sunday's presidential election.

The South American country became the world's first to allow the cultivation, distribution and use of marijuana, but almost two in three Uruguayans oppose the pioneering experiment that aims to wrest control of the trade from drug gangs.

"I will keep the law's articles that allow users to grow their own cannabis at home and authorize smoking clubs and repeal the rest, in particular the state's commercialization of the drug," Luis Lacalle Pou told Reuters.

This was the first time the 41-year-old candidate for the centrist National Party has commented on the actions he would take on the marijuana law.

"I will send a bill to parliament to repeal it," Lacalle Pou said. "We will need a majority in parliament, and I will look for support."

The presidential candidate for the right-wing Colorado Party has publicly opposed the law.

Polls show Lacalle Pou trailing the candidate for the left-wing Frente Amplio ("Broad Front") ruling coalition, Tabare Vazquez, who has endorsed the law.

But with both men projected to fall short of the absolute majority needed for a first-round victory, they will probably go to a late November runoff, where polls show them running neck and neck.

Uruguay passed the marijuana law in December, but leftist incumbent President Jose Mujica, has struggled to roll out the reform, which other Latin American states have followed closely.

Mujica, a 79-year-old ex-guerrilla, is constitutionally barred from running for a second consecutive term.

Lacalle Pou also said he would not grant asylum to six Guantanamo Bay detainees whom Mujica has offered to receive.

Below are the two main candidates and their policies.

Tabare Vazquez, Ruling Broad Front  

In his first term as president, Vazquez pursued a center-left agenda, mixing social welfare reforms with pro-business economic policies.

A popular leader first time around, a constitutional cap on terms in office prevented him running for a second consecutive period in office. He was followed by Jose Mujica, a former guerrilla fighter and ally in the leftist Broad Front coalition.

Vazquez opposed Mujica's legalization of abortion but backed other social reforms. His endorsement of a law legalizing the production, distribution and use of marijuana has dented his re-election hopes.

Vazquez says a third left-wing administration would improve conditions for the most vulnerable, including a program to sponsor full-time carers of the sick.

He pledges to maintain Mujica's tight monetary policy but has not detailed how he would rein in inflation, which stands at 9 percent.

Vazquez pledges to cut the above-target fiscal deficit, which stands at 3.3 percent of gross domestic product, by cutting wasteful government spending. He has ruled out new taxes or a sharp fiscal adjustment.

Luis Lacalle Pou, National Party     

Lacalle Pou is a 41-year-old lawyer touted as the fresh face of Uruguayan politics who has strived to rid the center-right National Party of its stuffy image.

Lacalle Pou has tapped into a vein of discontent toward the far-reaching social reforms. He says he would try to reverse much of Uruguay's pioneering marijuana law.

He also said he would not grant asylum to the six Guantanamo Bay detainees. Many Uruguayans oppose the offer Mujica made to US President Barack Obama without consulting lawmakers.

Lacalle Pou says taming inflation would be a priority and that he would curb fiscal spending. He would encourage the creation of more savings instruments in pesos to continue de-dollarizing the economy.

Lacalle Pou has said he would reduce the fiscal deficit by 1.5 percentage points, partly through greater efficiency at state-run firms.

He has also campaigned on a platform to offer tax relief, including the abolishment of a tax on pensions. His National Party favors a stronger role for the private sector.