Pharmacies In Uruguay To Sell Recreational Cannabis With Higher THC Levels

Uruguay became the first country on earth to adopt a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure back in 2013, with legal recreational cannabis sales launching in 2017, including sales through the nation’s pharmacies.

Legal sales at pharmacies began in Uruguay in the summer of 2017, and consumers could initially choose from two different strains. The two strains are named ‘Alpha’ and ‘Beta’, each with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels equal to or less than 9%, and cannabidiol (CBD) levels equal to or less than 3%.

Then, in 2022, Uruguay permitted a third option, ‘Gamma,’ which has a THC level of equal to or less than 15%, and CBD levels of equal to or less than 1%. Regulators in Uruguay recently approved a fourth option that contains a higher level of THC than the other three options.

“The new variant has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of equal to or less than 20% and a cannabidiol (CBD) content of equal to or less than 1%.” stated Latin America Reports in its local coverage.

“Currently, 71,843 Uruguayan citizens are legally registered to purchase cannabis in pharmacies, 11,708 have received permission to grow it at home, and 13,687 are members of cannabis clubs.” the outlet also reported.

Right now, cannabis is legal for adult use at a national level in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa, although nationwide sales are currently only permitted in Uruguay and Canada. Regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are also currently permitted in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Recreational cannabis is also legal in two dozen states in the U.S., as well as in Washington D.C. Almost all of those jurisdictions permit legal adult-use cannabis sales, but cannabis remains prohibited at the federal level in the United States.