Uruguay becomes the first country in the world to legalize cannabis nationwide

On December 10, 2013, Uruguay’s Senate voted 16–13 to approve Law No. 19.172, making the South American nation the first country in the modern world to fully legalize the cultivation, distribution, and consumption of cannabis at the national level. President José Mujica signed the bill into law on December 23, 2013.

How Uruguay structured its national market

Unlike the commercial dispensary model emerging in Colorado and Washington, Uruguay created a tightly regulated, state-supervised system overseen by the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA). Adult residents aged 18 and older who registered with the national regulator could choose one of three legal supply routes:

• Home cultivation: Growing up to 6 flowering cannabis plants per household, with an annual harvest cap of 480 grams.
• Cannabis social clubs: Joining a cooperative club of 15 to 45 members permitted to cultivate up to 99 plants collectively.
• Pharmacy purchases: Buying up to 40 grams per month (10 grams per week) of state-regulated cannabis flower sold through participating pharmacies, which began retail sales in July 2017.

Uruguay’s reform showed that a sovereign nation could replace illicit drug trafficking with regulated adult access, five years before Canada became the first G7 country to legalize nationwide.