On December 10, 2013, the government of Pepe MujicaIn Uruguay“,”legalized“The sale and production of marijuana, also for leisure purposes. Ten years later the country export Cannabis, so much so that in solo 2022according to the Uruguay Export Promotion Agency XXI, has made a gross profit $5.3 million Thanks to the sale of at least 16 tons of marijuana, the majority (83%) is intended for consumption medicalIn Portugal, Germany, Israel And Canada but also in United States.
Today, the 48% of citizens are in favor of of the law that liberalizes cannabis. A double percentage compared to what was recorded in 2012while critical voices have passed 66% for the 45%. In addition to these data, a second one also appears, namely that the 51% of weed consumers in the country choose to do so while remaining within the EU legal circledespite the strong bureaucracy This accompanies and weakens the journey and therefore the purchase of the product Pharmacies authorized, or in Cannabis clubor self-cultivating the plant. It is precisely for this reason that the Uruguay XXI agency declared last April: “The law appears to have achieved its objective.” reduce the illegal drug trade“. The latest IRCCA (Regulation and Control of Cannabis) report, published in 2023, shows this to be the case 86,207 Persons within the regulated market, with a growth of 153%, from 34,108 in 2018 to the current membership. According to the agency, purchasing “weeds” illegal And decreased from 58% to 24% between 2014 and 2022. According to the Uruguayan authorities, at least in 2019 20 million dollars They were “removed” from illegal trade. This is done by calculating the amount of marijuana sold in the legalized territory. If this number, which has never been questioned, is true, today that number has doubled. That is, about i 40 million of dollars.
The legalization of marijuana use and production is increasing, according to government data Jobs And income so much so that there are around a hundred projects that directly employ them 900 people. 70% of them operate their business domestically. The purchase and production of marijuana is “controlled” and you are not allowed to buy more than that 40 grams per month per head and can be grown less than 100 plants per year. In November 2020, government sources spoke of a forecast for entry into the marijuana market for the five-year period 2020-2025 50 million dollars Thanks to the cultivation of 1,300 hectares And 40,000 meters of greenhouses cultivated. Rosario QueiroloSociologist from the Catholic University of Uruguay, presented research on the country's cannabis market last November and emphasized that the bureaucracy Access to legally purchasing marijuana is one of them Main obstacles for the elimination of the illegal market. For Queirolo “The gray market it is the closest thing to legality. The main goal is not profit. “Grey” is in fact already a non-legal distribution that brings with it an economic advantage, as is the case with the cannabis clubs that sell it Surpluses outside the permitted context or with producers who sell their crops outside their personal network.”
For DanielRadioSecretary General of the National Drug Administration, the current policy of regulating production and sales was a Fail Because, according to the politician: “We don't control the market, the only thing we did was increase the price of the product“. Daniel Radio is critical of the initiative he wants Wide front since you should have cannabis a Good pricewith a easy access And different types “It seems to me that these are the three basic things you have to have. “The only thing we respect is a good price,” he said. There is also a suggestion from the Broad Front Extension of the law which also contains i tourists and that tourists. To gain access to the legal cannabis purchasing “program,” you must do this residents in the country, precisely for this reason for over a year. Eduardo Antonini submitted the motion to Parliament, which, if voted on, would also allow:Non-residents who regularly reside in the territory “in order to have access to the legal mechanisms for the sale of cannabis and its derivatives for personal consumption during their stay”.
A measure that is unlikely to be adopted, not just in its net form opposition the right-wing denier party Cabildo Abierto but also from national partyand therefore it is difficult to imagine that the third government partner, the Colorful party can vote on the measure together with the opposition. While for Sebastián “Tati” Sabini, Senator of the Frente Amplio and one of the biggest supporters of Law 19.172 in 2013 “The project had three objectives. First of all, me right: that no one goes to prison for using cannabis. Secondly, theHealth goal it was about access to products from Quality, access to information and improvement of the prevention system. Finally, this Fight against drug trafficking. And I think that this has been achieved to a large extent, even with different intensities.”