{"id":189685,"date":"2017-07-19T10:36:10","date_gmt":"2017-07-19T10:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/uruguay-pharmacies-start-selling-pot\/"},"modified":"2017-07-19T10:36:10","modified_gmt":"2017-07-19T10:36:10","slug":"uruguay-pharmacies-start-selling-pot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/uruguay-pharmacies-start-selling-pot\/","title":{"rendered":"Uruguay pharmacies start selling pot"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pharmacies in Uruguay start selling marijuana from Wednesday under the final phase of a four-year-old law that made the small South American country the first in the world to legalize pot from production to sale.\n <\/p>\n

The government of leftist President Tabare Vazquez announced the commercialization of pot last week. <\/p>\n

Little information has been given, however, on the 16 pharmacies selected to start offering the drug to Uruguay’s 3.4 million residents.<\/p>\n

The government didn’t work out deals with the big pharmacy chains that cover the country.<\/p>\n

Sales won’t be on a walk-in basis, however.<\/p>\n

Under the legislation set by the state agency regulating the marijuana<\/a> market, people have to register to buy pot in pharmacies. Only registered residents can do so\u2014preventing drug tourism.<\/p>\n

So far 4,959 people have signed on, most of them in the 30 to 44 age group, according to government figures.<\/p>\n

The pharmacy<\/a> sales form the last of three phases set out under the 2013 law.<\/p>\n

Under the early phases of the 2013 law, more than 6,948 people have registered to grow weed at home, and 63 smokers’ clubs have been authorized.<\/p>\n

Only two companies were authorized to produce marijuana for pharmacies\u2014under military protection, and with no public access.<\/p>\n

The state Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCC) has authorized the sale of two types of marijuana, to be sold in five-gram packets.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the National Drugs Council tweeted an image of what the packages would look like: blue-and-white sealed sachets that look something like condom packets.<\/p>\n

An “Alfa I” package contains “Alfa I variety cannabis hybrid with Indica predominant.” Another sort has “Beta I variety cannabis” with Sativa. The levels of THC\u2014the psychotropic constituent in cannabis\u2014are given on the outside, for consumer information.<\/p>\n

The packets also bear a “Warnings” section about the risks of consuming marijuana and recommendations on how to do it more safely.<\/p>\n

The packets are being retailed at $6.60 each, according to the IRCCA. <\/p>\n

Uruguay’s goal is legalizing the sale of marijuana for recreational use is to cut down on illegal smuggling.\n <\/p>\n

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\n Pharmacies in Uruguay to start selling pot next week<\/a>\n <\/p>\n