Montevideo , Uruguay ( CNN ) -- The passage of a landmark marijuana legalization measure Tuesday means Uruguay is set to become the first country in the world to have a system regulating legal production , sale and consumption of the drug . It 's practically a done deal . President Jose Mujica has to sign the bill before it becomes a law . But he 's long backed the measure , and there 's little doubt that he remains behind it . Applause and cheers rang out in Uruguay 's Senate on Tuesday after the high-profile vote at the end of a lengthy debate on the bill . The measure passed Uruguay 's lower house in July . Supporters of the proposal have said it marks a turning point and could inspire other Latin American nations to take a similar approach . It places the South American country at the vanguard of liberal drug policies , surpassing even the Netherlands , where recreational drugs are illegal but a policy of tolerance is in place . `` It is understood that a regulation-based policy has positive consequences for health and public security , given that , on the one hand , it can produce better results when it comes to education , prevention , information , treatment and rehabilitation in relation to the problematic uses of drugs , '' said Sen. Roberto Conde of Uruguay 's Broad Front coalition , which supported the measure . `` On the other hand , it helps fight drug trafficking , which fuels organized crime and criminal activities that affect the security of the population . '' Critics said legalizing marijuana could have dangerous consequences . `` This bill , which proposes an experiment in social engineering , as it was described in the public health commission , does not comply with any of the ethical safeguards of experimentation with human beings , '' said Sen. Alfredo Solari of the Colorado Party . `` Those safeguards are extremely important ... given that we 're talking about marijuana , a substance that harms human beings . '' A letter sent by Mujica 's government to lawmakers last year presented the bill . He told CNN en EspaÃ±ol last year that he supported legalizing marijuana . `` If we legalize it , we think that we will spoil the market ( for drug traffickers ) because we are going to sell it for cheaper than it is sold on the black market , '' he said . `` And we are going to have people identified . '' Conservative critics of the measure have said it promotes drug addiction and have suggested that Mujica 's comments were uninformed . Details still in the works . The proposed law would allow individuals to grow up to six plants of marijuana and possess as many as 480 grams for personal use . Marijuana clubs of anywhere from 15 to 45 members would also be allowed and granted permission to grow up to 99 plants at a time . Users would have to register , and those claiming to use cannabis for medical reasons would have to show a doctor 's prescription . Marijuana would also be sold at licensed pharmacies . Once the bill becomes law , there will be a 120-day period to give the government time to adopt regulations and implement it . Consumption of marijuana has been legal Uruguay , but its production and sale are not . `` We seek to eliminate that incongruence , '' the country 's top drug official , Julio Calzada , told CNN earlier this year . The same debates about marijuana that exist in the United States -- about medicinal properties , recreational use , the impact on the justice system -- have been happening in Uruguay for a long time , Calzada said . The decision to push legislation to overhaul its drug policies did not come overnight . `` We have reflected on our problems , '' Calzada said , and the government felt that Uruguay 's tradition of tolerance and equality merited action on the marijuana issue . Widespread debate . But many in the traditionally Catholic country of 3.3 million people feel supporters are espousing the wrong policy for the wrong reasons . In a July poll from CIFRA/Gonzalez , Raga and Associates , 63 % of Uruguayan respondents said they disagreed with the bill . Only 26 % said they approved of the measure in the poll , which surveyed more than 1,000 Uruguayans and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points . Opponent Solari says making marijuana widely available has the potential to create even higher levels of addiction . `` It 's a very bad piece of legislation , mainly because it increases the availability of marijuana in the market , '' he said . Backers of the bill say the legislation addresses some of the concerns expressed by the opposition . For one , violators of the law would face sentences of 20 months to 10 years in prison . Those younger than 18 would not be allowed to use marijuana under any circumstances . The legislation also calls for mandatory classes in public schools aimed at drug prevention and bans the advertising of cannabis in any form . Video : Seattle marks one year of legalized marijuana . Journalist Dario Klein reported from Montevideo . CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet and Rafael Romo reported from Atlanta . CNN 's Mariano Castillo contributed to this report .
Uruguayan lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana . The bill would allow the use of medical marijuana, but only for patients with a doctor's recommendation and under certain conditions. Critics say it could have dangerous health consequences .