Uruguay invites smokers to register on the Cannabis Registry

Uruguayan cannabis smokers can now register with the State Cannabis Registry. Following this registration, Uruguayans will be able to buy cannabis in pharmacies from the time it goes on sale officially in July 1, 2017.

Queue up and declare yourself an official smoker

All adult citizens wishing to smoke state cannabis can now register with the Cannabis Registry. To access this Registry, Uruguayans must queue up at Post offices.

According to El Pais Uruguay, Registration takes 4 minutes. To register, the future legal consumer must provide 4 fingerprints, an identity card and a matching proof of address. Finally, they have to complete a sociological study, so that the government can draw up a typical profile of each user.

In order to defend himself against an attack on human rights, the president of the Junta Nacional de Drogas, Juan Andrès Roballo declares: »Citizens don't have to worry about their personal data. We just want to track smokers» consumption so we can classify their profiles and work on the prevention we can provide for each individual."

Uruguayans already had the right to register on two different registers: either as self-growers, or as members of a cannabis social club. However, being a self-grower or a member of a cannabis social club prevents access to cannabis distributed in pharmacies.

«Hello, condoms and 5 grams of weed please»

Marcos Ferreira, 41, is one of them: »It's a great step for citizens, Uruguay is innovating and I'm curious to see the results».

Registered Uruguayans will be able to buy up to 40 grams per month in pharmacies for €1.2 per gram. According to one future customer, this price is «less than half the black market price. Now I'll be able to order my cannabis efficiently and healthily. The product will be sold in doses of 5 or 10 grams.

On the other hand, Uruguay has no plans for cannabis tourism. Only nationals and long-term residents can register on the Cannabis Register. L’AFP found a Hispanic-Urugayan binational in the registry queue: »I'm moving to Uruguay just for this. It's a gift from God to be here and to be able to sign this cannabis register. We have a guarantee of quality, no more old stuff distributed on the street».

At present, only 16 pharmacies are authorized to sell cannabis. According to Roballo, 15 more are expected to finalize their contracts shortly. However, the state is facing a new problem. In three to four departments, no pharmacies have come forward to sell cannabis.

Théo Caillart