Report: Uruguay is home to nearly 35,000 authorized rec cannabis users

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The number of people authorized to access recreational marijuana in Uruguay is closing in on 35,000, according to a report by the Institute of Regulation and Control of Cannabis.

However, the Uruguayan regulatory agency’s study notes that the number of people accessing marijuana through regulated channels is much higher due to the “sharing” of products acquired via legal means.

The report, though provisional, paints a fresh picture of Uruguay’s regulated adult-use market, which launched in 2017.

The study estimates that 54% of cannabis users in the country access MJ through regulated outlets, including pharmacies, home cultivation and one of the country’s 90 marijuana clubs.

Most consumers purchased cannabis in pharmacies (23,100 people), followed by home cultivation (8,400) and marijuana clubs (2,500).

Other takeaways from the report:

  • 70% of the 23,000 Uruguayans who registered to acquire marijuana in pharmacies are men.
  • The number of registrants are expected to rise as more pharmacies join the distribution network.
  • Only 17% of the registered users are older than 44.
  • Between July 2017 and May 2018, 750,000 grams of marijuana had been sold through pharmacies.

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