Uruguay and Cannabis
In 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize the cultivation and sale of cannabis. This happened despite most of the citizenship of Uruguay having been opposed to the legalizing of cannabis by a wide margin of over two to one.
The idea for legalizing cannabis stems from the desire to tackle the health issues and criminal element related to the cannabis black market, such as organized crime, trafficking and related violence.
The new cannabis law passed in Uruguay not only allows for marijuana plants to be cultivated legally by individuals and bigger licensed growers, but also allows for the formation of cannabis clubs for growers and users, as well as the sale of cannabis by pharmacies. Pharmacies are allowed to sell a maximum of 40 grams of cannabis per month to registered users, who must be residents or citizens of Uruguay. Therefore sale to tourists is prohibited, as is the transport of cannabis outside the country.
Under the law, the government of Uruguay regulates the cannabis market, controlling price and potency as well as the quantity that is allowed to be produced. The law calls for cannabis to be no stronger than having a concentration of 15% THC.
There remain gray areas in the implementation of the cannabis laws, and the government has yet to administer all aspects of the legislation.
In July 2016, the 5th annual Copa Cannabis (also known as the Uruguay Cannabis Cup) was held in Uruguay.
