Uruguayan pharmacies to offer cannabis with higher THC levels

Pharmacies in Uruguay have been authorized to sell a new strain of marijuana called Épsilon, making it the fourth variant to be legally available to customers. 

According to daily newspaper la diaria, the new variant has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of equal to or less than 20% and a cannabidiol (CBD) content of equal to or less than 1%. THC is responsible for psychoactive effects in users, meaning that products with a higher THC to CBD ratio are likely to create more intense psychoactive experiences.

The other three variants already available for purchase in Uruguayan pharmacies are Alpha and Beta, which have THC levels of equal to or less than 9% and CBD levels equal or less than 3%, in addition to Gamma, which has THC levels of equal to or less than 15% and CBD levels of 1%. 

Alpha and Beta, the first two variants to be sold in Uruguayan pharmacies after the legalization of marijuana under former President José Mujica’s government in 2013, were considered “low-power” strains. After the more powerful Gamma strain was introduced in December 2022, the number of people legally registered to buy marijuana in pharmacies rose from 51,249 to 62,288 in less than nine months. Additionally, the amount of marijuana sold shot up from 1,774 kilograms in 2022 to 3,258 in 2023.

The decision was criticized by presidential candidate for the right-wing Cabildo Abierto (Open Cabildo) party, Senator and former Army commander Guido Manini, who posted on X: “It is irresponsible and criminal for the State to sell drugs without any studies on the effects they will have on users. What else are we going to do to compete with the drug traffickers? When will we start educating young people about the harm caused by drug use?” 

The post was in response to a video taken recently of a long queue outside of a pharmacy selling cannabis in Montevideo. 

However, Daniel Radío, the secretary of the National Drug Board of Uruguay compared the marijuana industry with wine production, explaining, “Some people have a grapevine at home and occasionally cultivate it, putting their grapes in a demijohn in the back of the house to make wine, but most people don’t do that. Instead, they go and buy from a store. When they stand in front of the shelf, they have options: Tannat, Cabernet, Merlot. And they choose.” 

Initially, the amount of Épsilon on sale will be limited, with the view that the strain will be fully incorporated gradually into the market, according to the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA). The price for a five-gram package of Epsilon will be 570 Uruguayan pesos (approximately USD $13).

In addition to purchasing marijuana in pharmacies, Uruguayan citizens are also legally permitted to home-grow it for personal use and to obtain it as a member of an officially recognized cannabis-producing club. Currently, 71,843 Uruguayan citizens are legally registered to purchase cannabis in pharmacies, 11,708 have received permission to grow it at home, and 13,687 are members of cannabis clubs.