Uruguay's first legal harvest

Last week, the two companies responsible for the cannabis production in Uruguay have begun the first legal harvest, announcing around 300g for each of the hundreds of plants grown indoors in greenhouses.

The President of the Junta Nacional de Drogas (National Drugs Office), Juan André Roballo, has announced that «very soon, the first crop from approved plantations» will be available in pharmacies.

Both companies, International Cannabis Corp (ICCorp) and SIMbiosys, located on the outskirts of Montevideo, planted in February under the close supervision of the government through its Instituto de Regulación y Control de Cannabis (Institute for Cannabis Regulation and Control).

Harvesting will continue next week. The following 6 weeks will be used for drying, manicuring and packaging before arriving on the shelves. From August onwards, Uruguayans will be able to buy 5g and 10g packs in 50 approved pharmacies. The price is set at €1 per g, 1.2$.

Pharmacy stocks, which will be closely monitored, will be replenished every 15 days. Consumers will be able to buy up to 40g per month, with their identity verified and registered with each purchase. Some pharmacies are in no hurry to dispense cannabis. In addition to the security problems posed by the possession of large quantities of cannabis, some pharmacies are afraid of scaring off regular customers who do not take kindly to the legal sale of cannabis.

More authorized pharmacies, There are 15 cannabis clubs, mainly around Montevideo, in which 3,000 self-growers have registered. The clubs can grow up to 99 plants and distribute 40 grams per month to a maximum of 45 members. They have been in operation since 2014 and have several crops behind them.

Since the beginning of 2014, Uruguay has also allowed self-growers (who are not club members) to register with IRCCA and grow up to 6 plants at home. There are now 4843 of them. These 3 access routes (pharmacy, club, home) each have their own consumer register, and each consumer can legally be on only one register: you have to choose your access route.

Although there is no specific law on medical cannabis, the’Uruguay Medical Union will develop a program of studies on therapeutic use.

Uruguay shouldn't be like Colorado's cannabis capitalism. The laws prohibit branding cannabis (both varieties and cannabis-based products) and all forms of advertising. Sales are also off-limits to tourists; only Uruguayan citizens and legal residents will, in theory, be able to buy their weed.