A common trend in markets that first legalized medical cannabis and then later legalized cannabis for adult use is that suffering patients rely less on the market’s medical cannabis industry as time goes by. Some amount of patients find it more desirable to acquire cannabis through adult-use channels instead of medical cannabis retail options.

In most markets, becoming an ‘official’ medical cannabis patient requires one or more visits to a doctor’s office or participating in a telemedicine session, registering with a government agency, and paying a fee. There are also typically renewal requirements. For some adult patients, acquiring cannabis through recreational channels is less burdensome.

With that being said, there will always be suffering patients who do not want to acquire their medicine via adult-use channels, including in Uruguay. Uruguay legalized cannabis for adult use in 2013, with recreational product sales launching in pharmacies in 2017.

Uruguay’s government is considering, for the third time, whether to integrate medical cannabis into the nation’s healthcare system. Currently, the financial burden for medical cannabis access in Uruguay largely falls on the patient. As such, participation in the nation’s medical cannabis program remains very limited.

“Ten years after its introduction, access to medicinal cannabis still depends on the patient’s financial resources and the doctor they have in front of them.” reported El Observador in its local coverage (translated from Spanish to English). “This year, the Technical Advisory Committee on Therapeutic Cannabis —created by law in 2019 but only formed last year—, promoted for the third time before the Ministry of Public Health the inclusion of the list.”

“Because cannabis medications approved and regulated by the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) and sold in pharmacies are not included in the National Formulary of Medicines, they range in price from $5,000 for a 5% cannabidiol concentration bottle to $9,000 for a 10% concentration. The price is somewhat lower in private healthcare providers, but still within this range.” the outlet also reported.

It is common for medical cannabis to be integrated into national healthcare systems in European markets. It doesn’t preclude patients from seeking out other options, including obtaining cannabis via adult-use options in jurisdictions that permit such options.