In 2013 Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes. After six years of authorized sales, the Institute for Cannabis Regulation and Control (IRCCA) has published the budget official of pharmacies.
Pharmacies that dispense cannabis at a maximum price of $1.30 per gram to citizens who register in a consumer register. Consumers who can also self-produce up to six seedlings or easily obtain supplies from the CSCs that color the state green.
Uruguay: millions of grams of cannabis sold
As confirmed by IRRCA, between 19 July 2017 and 19 July 2023, the 37 authorized pharmacies in the country were well stocked 61.509 people for 10.7 million grams of cannabis sold. I am 10.486 instead the members of the over 300 clubs in the country and 14.592 home growers.
Although the numbers attest to the effectiveness of the legalization desired at the time from the ex President Mujica, which has already halved the state's black market, the Uruguayan model has limitations. Especially for the many residents who do not want to be registered in government databases as consumers or growers.
Finally, to further limit the legal market, there are the pharmacies themselves, which only have three varieties of cannabis:
- “ALPHA”: a sativa with 9% THC and 3% CBD.
- “BETHA”: an indica with 9% THC and 3% CBD.
- “GAMMA”: a hybrid with 15% THC and up to 1% CBD.
- “DELTA”: a genetics available from the end of 2023 with a high percentage of CBD and a low percentage of THC.
