First Country in the World Authorizes Pharmacies to Sell Pot Over the Counter

Uruguay was the first country in the world to completely legalize weed nearly four years ago under former President José Mujica, who was in many ways the law’s architect.

Now, Uruguay will become the first country in the world to legally sell cannabis over the counter in pharmacies.

Having legalized cultivation, distribution and consumption in 2013, this is the first authorization for pharmacies.

“Cannabis will be dispensed in pharmacies starting in the month of July,” president of the National Drug Board, Juan Andres Roballo, told a press conference Thursday.

Under the law, MMJ patients must sign up for a national registry and cannot exceed the monthly maximum purchase of 40 grams, to be set at $1.30 per gram by Uruguay’s National Drugs Council, which added it will is only be available to Uruguayan citizens or permanent residents.

Vendors can only sell MMJ in five-gram containers, although 10-gram containers are expected to be introduced later.

The Uruguayan government said it has made a deal with 16 drugstore chains to sell the product.

The marijuana will come from state-supervised fields, with the plants grown under the eye of licensed producers.

The government hopes the state-grown pot will “guarantee the quality and the purity of the product” citizens consume, Roballo said.