In 2013, Uruguay was the first country in the world to completely legalize weed under former President José Mujica. Four years down the road and they are now the first country in the world to legally sell cannabis over the counter in pharmacies.
“Cannabis will be dispensed in pharmacies starting in the month of July,” president of the National Drug Board, Juan Andres Roballo, told a press conference Thursday.
Under the law, MMJ patients must sign up for a national registry and cannot exceed the monthly maximum purchase of 40 grams, to be set at $1.30 per gram by Uruguay’s National Drugs Council, which added it will only be available to Uruguayan citizens or permanent residents.
The Uruguayan government has made a deal with 16 drugstore chains to sell the product. Vendors can only sell MMJ in five-gram containers with 10-gram containers being introduced later. The marijuana will come from state-supervised fields, under the eye of licensed producers.
The government hopes the state-grown pot will guarantee a pure quality of marijuana for citizens to consume.