NEWS
EVENTS
Uruguay First Country to Sell Cannabis Over The Counter in Pharmacies
Friday 14th April 2017 | Christian
Uruguay will become the first country in the world to sell cannabis over the counter in pharmacies.
Presidential aide Juan Andres Roballo stated in a press conference that the new law will come into effect from July. This will ‘guarantee the quality and the purity of the product,' according to Roballo.
It’s taken the government three years to legalise the drug for recreational use, the first nation in the world to do so.
To purchase the cannabis in the South American country, the customer will have to be at least 18 years old and already registered on a national register. You will also have to be a citizen or permanent resident of Uruguay to register, which means tourists will not be able to purchase cannabis over the counter. The customer will be limited to buying 40 grammes (1.4 ounces) a month.
Under former President José Mujica, Uruguay previously legalised the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana in late 2013. This included growing the drug at home and sharing it at membership clubs.
There is currently 16 pharmacies registered for the scheme, but this is expected to increase to 30 in the next few months!
Uruguay is a tiny country with a population of just 3.4 million people (that’s less than half the population of London!), but they’ve just become world leaders in the efforts to legalise cannabis.
As countries in the west fight for the legal right to smoke cannabis, they can look to Uruguay as proof of the positive influence legalising cannabis can have.
