Good News for Cannabis: The Left Will Govern Again in Uruguay

Tabaré Vázquez, the candidate of the Social-Democratic coalition, Frente Amplio, will succeed Jose Mújica as the head of the Uruguayan government. While Mujica took Vázquez's place five years ago, Vázquez prevailed in the elections held last Sunday. The Left continuing to govern in Uruguay will be good for marijuana lovers: last year cannabis was legalised for both recreational and therapeutic use, a measure backed by then-president Jose Mújica.

The production, sale and consumption of cannabis are already legal in Uruguay, but a victory by the challenger of the National Party, Luis Lacalle Pou, could have marked a setback in its regulation, as he had pledged to rescind some parts of the law if elected president.

Tabaré Vázquez, on the other hand, has promised to respect the regulation, although he will supervise its implementation to offer certain guarantees, as the production of marijuana is controlled by the state. “We are going to look very carefully at the results of this law. There is going to be a strict and very close-up evaluation of the impact that it has on society,” declared the future president. 

Uruguay's Cannabis Regulation and Control Institute has already drafted a guide for cannabis clubs setting down the requirements to grow marijuana and to improve its planting and transplanting. This marks an effort to provide guidance on home cultivation, which is limited to six plants.

The law permits the formation of recreational clubs of between 15 and 45 members, and a proportional number of marijuana plants, capped at 99. For the past month these first cannabis clubs have begun to be regulated, being required to present their cultivation plans.

Pharmacies are the third point of sale of cannabis, so that those that wish to do so may enjoy easy access to this plant’s therapeutic properties, with the price being regulated by the State: less than one euro per gram, allowing all of society access to marijuana.