No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsBusinessUruguay plan to sell pot at pharmacies slammed

Uruguay plan to sell pot at pharmacies slammed

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Uruguayan pharmacies on Thursday criticized the government’s plan to allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use in their stores.

In an announcement last week, the government said cannabis will go on sale in pharmacies within eight months, following the granting of licenses to two companies to grow cannabis for commercial sale, in accordance with a 2013 law.

But pharmacies must “work for the health of the population,” and “the use of psychoactive substances for recreational use, whether legal or not, is detrimental to health,” the Chemistry and Pharmacy Association of Uruguay (AQFU) argued in a statement.

The newspaper El País said 120 pharmacies in the capital Montevideo are interested in selling marijuana.

But AQFU said pharmacies “do not sell other recreational substances like tobacco or alcohol” and called the policy contradictory to the tobacco and alcohol policies of President Tabaré Vázquez’s government.

The trade group demanded a review of the cannabis law, which is the first of its kind in the world and has sparked international media attention.

Uruguayans wishing to buy cannabis in pharmacies must register in a national database and will receive a card enabling them to purchase up to 40 grams per month, which they would be forbidden to resell.

The other initiatives in the 2013 law, allowing limited growth of cannabis plants for private use and of more as part of a “grow club” have already been implemented, and proponents see the implementation of the commercial sale provisions as overdue.

Trending Now

Honduras Seizes $2 Million, Gold-Plated Pistols in Drug Raid

Honduran authorities struck a blow against drug cartels, seizing over $2 million in cash, war rifles, and flashy gold-plated pistols in Copán, a northwest...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...

Costa Rican Court Orders Release of Migrants Deported Under Trump Deal

A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants who had been detained in a shelter after being deported under an...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica