Uruguay: current cannabis production will not cover demand

Uruguayan state production will not be sufficient to meet the current demand for cannabis, announced Juan Andrés Roballo, Deputy to the Presidency.

There seems to be a significant difference between the number of pharmacies willing to participate the cannabis distribution system and production capacity of both companies under license. Roballo also added that changes to the distribution plan were in the pipeline.

«Production is not covering the demand that exists according to the latest estimates,» said Roballo. These numbers show «a much higher demand that will not cover current plans». .

In December 2013, the’Uruguay has become the first country to legalize totally cannabis, for medical, recreational or industrial uses. The law came into force in May 2014, and offered 3 points of access for consumers: self-cultivation, Cannabis Clubs, and pharmacy distribution, with state-regulated prices of €1.30 per gram.

The entire system is monitored by IRCCA, the Institute for Cannabis Regulation and Control.

Implementation of the complete system has been somewhat delayed, not only for logistical reasons, but also because of some opposition from pharmacies, which do not look favorably on the sale of recreational cannabis and would prefer to confine themselves to therapeutic cannabis.

Despite these minor twists and turns, in October 2015 Uruguay gave commercial authorization to grow cannabis to two companies, registered 3,000 people for self-cultivation and began validating the opening of several Cannabis Clubs. These allow members to pool their resources to grow their plants under the supervision of a manager who adheres to IRCCA regulations.

Uruguay has announced that it is open to a non-pharmacy distribution channel, depending on consumer demand and the participation of pharmacies.

The pharmacies can stock up to 2kg of cannabis under lock and key. Consumers will be able to buy up to 40g per month (480g per year). A consumer register will keep track of all this, with fingerprinting to be used at the point of sale to identify consumers.