Maximum Yield Cannabis USA April/May 2018 | Page 66

enjoy
“MUJICA EXPLAINED
THAT AUTHORITIES WOULD
track every gram
OF MARIJUANA SOLD.”
Since 2012, the legalization process has
moved at a glacial pace, dampening the initial
excitement of pot enthusiasts. First up under
the new plan was the registration of growers.
Individuals who registered are each entitled to
grow up to six plants for personal use and these
days, it’s not uncommon to see a few sativa
plants among other flowers on balconies around
the capital city of Montevideo. The government
also opened bidding for companies wanting to
produce pot for the legal sales market. Last year,
it announced its first legal harvest.
But while the government talked up registration
for those wishing to buy the legal pot, the
registration dates, which were originally planned
for 2014, only opened on May 2, 2017. Registration
took place at post offices and though people had
been waiting for the event, day one did not see
a high turnout of registrants. According to the
national newspaper El Pais, only 30 of the nation’s
3.4 million people registered that day.
At the time this article was written, some 3,500
people, including many foreign-born residents,
have signed up to buy marijuana at pharmacies.
About 6,700 signed up as home growers and 57
cannabis clubs set up shop, according to the
government’s Cannabis Regulation and Control
Institute. The government wasn