Chile Marijuana Legalization: Michelle Bachelet Removes Weed From 'Hard Drug' List, Approves Medical Pot

The President of Chile signed an executive order this week removing marijuana from the list of hard illegal drugs. For years, cancer patients have been able to get marijuana prescribed by a doctor, but even some patients are running into legal issues with the previously banned drug. US legislators have been debating a bill that would have similar effects, mainly lowering the penalty for the drug, and lowering restrictions to allow medical research. 

While pot consumption has been decriminalized in Chile for some time, users including pain patients have stilled faced negative repercussions. As recently as November, a mother was separated from her newborn child due to smoking pot, according to the BBC.