Cannabis in Uruguay

Graffiti in Montevideo

Cannabis is legal in Uruguay, and is one of the most widely used drugs in the nation.[1]

President José Mujica signed legislation to legalize recreational cannabis in December 2013, making Uruguay the first country in the modern era to legalize cannabis. In August 2014, Uruguay legalized growing up to six plants at home, as well as the formation of Cannabis Social Clubs, a state-controlled marijuana dispensary regime, and the creation of a Cannabis regulatory institute (Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis or IRCCA).[2] In October 2014 the Government began registering growers' clubs, allowed in turn to grow a maximum of 99 cannabis plants annually; as of August 2015, there were 2,743 registered personal growers.[3][4][5] After a long delay in implementing the retail component of the law, in 2017 sixteen pharmacies were authorized to sell cannabis commercially.[6]

  1. ^ World Drug Report 2011. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Cannabis stats are from Chapter 6.1.1.3. Consumption: Annual prevalence of Cannabis, p. 217. "Sources: Annual Reports Questionnaires, Academic Researches, Concise International Chemical Assessment Documents (CICAD), Government Reports, European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports (INCSR)."
  2. ^ Fijnaut, Cyrille J.C.F.; de Ruyver, Brice (24 July 2015). The Third Way: A Plea for a Balanced Cannabis Policy. BRILL. p. 58. ISBN 9789004293199.
  3. ^ "Uruguay cannabis growers' clubs: Registration begins". BBC News. 31 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Uruguay ya tiene registrados a 2.743 cultivadores de marihuana". infobae. Associated Press. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Uruguay busca producir marihuana que pueda estar "bien identificada"". EFE. NoticiasSin. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  6. ^ Uruguay pharmacies start selling cannabis straight to consumers | World news | The Guardian