Pot-smokers in Uruguay on Tuesday became the first in the world to sign up to buy state-vetted cannabis for recreational use, as pharmacies aim to start selling it in July. Far from the cannabis cafes of the Netherlands and other states that have decriminalized pot, this small South American country is the first to fully legalize consumption of the drug all the way from production to sale.
Already allowed by the leftist government to grow the weed in their homes and smoke it in clubs, Uruguayans in a few weeks will be able to buy it from the chemist along with their shampoo and aspirins. "This is a great step forward in the evolution as citizens," said Marcos Ferreira, 41, one of a small line of people queuing to sign on to the Cannabis Register at a post office in central Montevideo.
"Uruguay is innovating to see if we get results," added Ferreira, who works in the tourist sector. The move is the last step in implementing a 2013 law that fully legalized the production, sale and consumption of marijuana. Buyers must sign up to ensure they have fulfilled licensing procedures and do not exceed the monthly maximum purchase of 40 grams (1.4 ounces).
The cannabis is grown at secret plantations near the capital by private companies regulated by the state. A gram of pot will cost $1.30, the secretary general of the National Drugs Council, Diego Olivera, said last month. "That's less than half the price on the black market," said the first person in line at the post office on Tuesday, shop worker Yamila, 26.
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