Uruguay is once again weighing the possibility of allowing tourists and non-residents over 18 who visit the South American nation to buy legal cannabis even if they aren’t citizens.
The executive director of IRCCA (the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis), Martín Rodríguez, confirmed that the agency is analyzing this option to strengthen the country’s legal cannabis market, expand the reach of the formal market, and weaken the illicit one.
Currently, only people with permanent residency or a Uruguayan ID card can access regulated sales in pharmacies, which today offer four varieties: ALFA, BETA, GAMMA, and ÉPSILON.
The underlying issue, however, goes beyond attracting visitors: it’s tied to the original goals of the country’s regulatory framework.
Why does Uruguay want to legalize cannabis for tourists?
Uruguay moved past the debate over whether to regulate cannabis a long time ago: it regulated it, implemented it, and fine-tuned a system that, with all its nuances, delivered concrete results. A network of clubs, pharmacies, and home growers took shape; public information campaigns were strengthened; and a policy grounded in harm reduction and state control of the supply chain became firmly established.
As Martín Rodríguez explained, the regulatory framework “has been solidifying over the years,” but the model is now hitting a limit: what has been achieved so far is no longer enough to keep pushing back the illicit market or to close the access gaps left by the original law.
In an interview with Canal 10, the director asked: “What do we need to do so cannabis regulation continues fulfilling its goals more effectively?” And he answered his own question: “One of the key objectives here is to expand the reach of the formal market, to keep replacing the illegal or irregular market with a regulated one,” as …
Read More
Author: Camila Berriex / High Times
