Cannabis users in Uruguay are now legally allowed to buy five-gram packs of cannabis for £5 as long-anticipated legislation finally comes into effect.
The South American country first proposed the legalisation of in 2012. The plan was announced by then-president Jose Mujica. Often described as the world's most 'humble' leader, Mujica has previously made headlines for giving away around 90% of his salary to poverty-related charities and small entrepreneurs, among other acts of philanthropy and eccentricity.
His plan to legalise cannabis was not without controversy, but was put forward to combat health and crime-related problems in the country. Though Uruguay has a relatively low crime level, Mujica wanted to improve things further, and the country's similarly low number of marijuana users made his plan more viable and, in theory, easier to assess and monitor.
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The law to legalise cannabis was passed way back in December 2013, and has taken over three years to implement. At the time, Julio Calzada, Secretary-General of Uruguay's National Drug Council explained how it would work. "Companies can get a license to cultivate if they meet all the criteria. However, this won't be a free market. The government will control the entire production and determine the price, quality, and maximum production volume."
Now, chemists have finally started selling direct to customers, with almost 5,000 registered users allowed to buy the small, sealed packages. Due to the slow pace at which the law was implemented (Mujica left in 2015 after his term ended), other South American countries have since made steps to develop similar initiatives.
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Now, any citizen over 18 can register to buy cannabis, purchasing up to 40 grams a month using a fingerprint recognition system and choosing between brands "Alfa 1" and "Beta 1", both of which have a relatively low amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in the plant that creates the high, but also one known to influence some of the extreme side effects of cannabis use - including psychosis, in some rare cases.
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Raquel Peyraube, president of the Uruguayan Society for the Study of Cannabis, told the Guardian: "All the indications are that the effect will be weak, given the content."
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The legal cannabis is grown, packaged and distributed by two companies, Iccorp and Symbiosis, both of which have been authorised by the Uruguayan government. Production is set to be carefully monitored and measures put in place to prevent it being sold to foreigners or anyone leaving the country.
Source: the Guardian, the Independent
Words: Ronan O'Shea