Last week, Canada officially approved legalization of cannabis throughout the country. While it’s the first G7 nation to fully legalize cannabis, it’s the second in the world overall. The first? Uruguay, a country some of us struggle to pronounce, spell, or find on a map. (Don’t “ooooooh” me, y’all know it’s true.)
Uruguay is a nation of nearly 3.5 million, bordered by Argentina and Brazil, and it first legalized cannabis in 2013, with sales finally beginning in July 2017. Among the objectives for Uruguay’s legalization was to eliminate the robust unregulated market of weed coming in from nearby Paraguay. There isn’t an established medical cannabis program in Uruguay.
A Brookings Institute study from March 2018 gives us some numbers about Uruguay’s cannabis industry. Homegrowers may have up to six registered flowering plants, but the harvested bud may not exceed 480 grams annually. That’s just over a pound of bud per year. There are more than 8,200 registered homegrowers.
There are also 83 registered “cannabis club” grower collectives, with club memberships between the mandated 15 to 45 individuals. They may grow up to 99 plants, and give each club member no more than 480 grams each year. Excess bud has to be turned over to authorities.
