Legal Marijuana Sales Begin in Uruguay Under Landmark 2013 Law

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Marijuana is going on sale at 16 pharmacies in Uruguay, the final step in applying a 2013 law that made the South American nation the first to legalize a pot market covering the entire chain from plants to purchase.

Authorities say nearly 5,000 people have registered as consumers allowing them to buy marijuana when sales start Wednesday. About two-thirds live in the capital, Montevideo.

The price is set at the equivalent of $1.30 per gram. Ninety cents of that goes to the two businesses chosen to cultivate the marijuana. The rest is split between pharmacies and the government, which will use its share to fund prevention programs.

Users can buy up to 40 grams a month.

The packing comes with a seal of authenticity and warnings about the drug’s effects.

You can keep up with all of HIGH TIMES’ marijuana news right here.