That will be the last and most important stage of a long process. In 2013 the senate voted to legalise marijuana and regulate its production and sale, making Uruguay the first country to do so. (Canada proposed a bill to legalise cannabis for recreational use on April 13th.) Uruguay’s goal is to stamp out the black market, controlled mainly by Paraguayan smugglers, without encouraging more consumption. Registered Uruguayans (but not visitors) will be able to get the drug in one of three ways. They can grow up to six plants at home; join a club, where 45 members can cultivate as many as 99 plants; or buy it in pharmacies. All consumers are restricted to 40g (1.4 ounces) a month, enough to roll a joint or two a day. About 10% of adults smoke at least once a year.
More than 6,600 people have already registered to grow cannabis at home; 51 clubs have opened. But Uruguayan officials expect pharmacies to be the biggest retailers, and are counting on them to drive illegal dealers out of business. They will start out selling weed in 5g packets, with the concentration of THC, the active ingredient, capped at 15%. With a price of $1.30 a gram, store-bought marijuana will be cheaper than what is available on the street. The quality will be better, says Milton Romani, who oversaw the law’s implementation until last July. Street cannabis can contain 52 toxins; pharmacies will sell purer weed. The government sought advice on potency from regular smokers. “They are the ones who know about this stuff,” laughs Mr Romani. [...]
Even then, clubs and home growers will cater to a niche market. The pharmacies’ business will build slowly. The 30 outlets that have signed up cover much of the country. But their corporate suppliers are allowed to grow just four tonnes a year. That is 15% of what Uruguayans smoke. If the country is to drive pushers off the streets, pharmacies will have to sell a lot more weed alongside the dental floss.
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