If you’ve ever walked into a CVS or Rite Aid and wished that you could add a gram or two of ganja to your munchies and carpet cleaner purchase, you’re not alone. You also might want to consider packing your bags and moving to Uruguay. The South American country announced yesterday that beginning this July, cannabis will be available over the counter at local pharmacies.
Uruguay legalized marijuana in 2013, becoming the first country in the world to do so, but this year’s regulations will mark the first time residents will be able to walk into a store and purchase their bud.
According to the BBC, presidential aid Juan Andres Roballo held a press conference to announce the over the counter program.
"Cannabis will be dispensed in pharmacies starting in the month of July," Roballo told reporters.
As a part of the country’s new cannabis program, everyone who purchases marijuana from stores must be on a national registry open only to only long-term residents and Uruguayan citizens. So while buying bud won’t be as easy as purchasing a pack of cigarettes, the pharmacy cannabis will be sold for a fixed price of $1.30 per gram – a pretty good bargain if you ask us.
However, if you don’t trust the drug store’s dope, or don’t want your name on the government-run registry, the regulations do also allow for home grows and collective cannabis farming co-ops.
The regulations and registry mean that Uruguay probably isn’t poised to be the next cannabis tourism hot spot, but it will make life easier for residents hoping to get their weed without hassle.
Uruguay’s government has initially signed up 16 pharmacies to launch the program, but plans to add more as the registry builds.
