A bill has been introduced in Uruguay by the opposition to allow tourists to purchase cannabis legally.
Uruguay legalized cannabis back in 2013, but did not allow tourists to participate in the consumption of legal cannabis. So there may be a change.
Uruguay is still considering allowing tourists to legally buy cannabis to boost tourism “Many tourists want to get cannabis when they come to Uruguay. We, who live in a touristic location, know it,” said Eduardo Antonini, lead author of the project and deputy of the Department of Maldonado, which includes resorts like Punta del Este. “An owner of a pharmacy that sells cannabis in the city of Maldonado told us that cruises were arriving and that many tourists there took a taxi at the port to go to his pharmacy and buy the famous legalized cannabis.” “
Only they were faced with a surprise: they were not allowed to buy weed in the store. And that’s almost a decade after Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize cannabis and implement regulation for home cultivation, cannabis clubs and pharmacy purchases. The cannabis tourism bill proposes that “accredited tourism enterprises (…) may be associated with clubs (…) or have them in their facilities.”
Businesses such as cannabis-themed hotels or grow shops can then temporarily offer tourists a cannabis club membership or register to purchase cannabis from pharmacies, as required by local users.
One of the reasons for getting the bill through is to support tourism and thus the economy. Process could take months, but petitioner is optimistic After discussion in the Tourism Committee, of which Antonini is vice-chair, the proposal should be discussed in both chambers. The process could take months, but Antonini is optimistic.
The proposal is in line with statements made in April by Secretary of the National Drug Board, Daniel Radio, who also proposed allowing the sale of cannabis to tourists. Since October 2020, medicinal cannabis from Uruguay has been available in German pharmacies.
Oppositie Uruguay dient wetsvoorstel in om toeristen cannabis te laten kopen
