Cannabis in Uruguay

Uruguay was the first country to create a fully regulated cannabis market. Law 19.172 of 2013 put production, distribution and sale under the state-run Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) and opened three ways for adults to obtain psychoactive cannabis: growing at home, joining a membership club or buying at a pharmacy. Each person must register and may use only one route at a time.

Registration is limited to Uruguayan citizens and permanent residents aged 18 or over. Buyers sign up once at a Correo Uruguayo post office with their cédula and proof of address and are then identified by fingerprint at the pharmacy counter. Pharmacy sales began in July 2017 with 16 pharmacies; by April 2026 there were 60 across the country, 20 of them added since January 2025, with 26 in Montevideo, eight in Canelones and seven in Maldonado. Colonia, Durazno, Florida, Soriano and Treinta y Tres still had none. At the end of April 2026, 120,083 people were registered: 88,955 pharmacy buyers, 20,798 club members and 10,330 home growers, and 585 clubs operated in all 19 departments.

Pharmacies sell only sealed 5 g packets of whole dried flower in four state-defined varieties. Alfa and Beta contain up to 9% THC with at least 3% CBD, Gamma up to 15% THC and Épsilon up to 20% THC; Épsilon, approved in late 2024, is by far the best seller. From August 1, 2026 prices are $U 500 to $U 630 a packet. Purchases are capped at 10 g a week, 40 g a month and 480 g a year. Three licensed companies, Faises, Jabelor and Legiral, grew the pharmacy supply at the end of 2025, and IRCCA licensed four more in 2025. Sales are rising: IRCCA reported 525 kg sold in March 2026, up 51% on a year earlier.

Visitors are the main gap. Tourists and people whose residency is still being processed cannot register, clubs may only admit residents, and cannabis bought legally may not be taken abroad. IRCCA's director said in February 2026 that the institute was studying access for non-residents, but no rule had changed by September 2026. All advertising of psychoactive cannabis is banned, and medical and hemp products follow separate licensing.