New Uruguay President Tabaré Vásquez, who assumed office on Sunday, has chosen to delay the country’s legal marijuana program only days into his presidency.
Vázquez’s predecessor, President José Mujica, made international headlines in 2013 when he legalized the production and sale of marijuana, making Uruguay the first nation to do so. Since then, Vázquez has agreed to honor President Mujica’s change in drug policy, though it has yet to be fully implemented. Vázquez has personall spoken out against marijuana consumption on several occasions, saying that
According to Milton Romani, the nation’s new chief drug regulator, there is “no rush” to start commercial sales of cannabis. In an interview with VICE News, Romani explained that “the [marijuana] companies do not deliver documents on time, and in the manner that hes been requested,” and that there still needs to be a point-of-sale software developed before pharmacies can begin distributing cannabis to consumers.
“I want this project to be successful,” he said. “If we make a mistake by rushing, we fail.”
Under Uruguay’s marijuana law, consumers will be able to obtain cannabis by purchasing it in a pharmacy, visiting a cannabis social club, or by growing it themselves.
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Photo Credit: MarihuanayMedicina