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Uruguay Updates Legal Cannabis Prices

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Business, Policy.

cannabis flower

Uruguay became the first country in history to adopt a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure in 2013. Multiple nations have since adopted national recreational cannabis legalization measures, but Uruguay will always hold the title of being the first to do so.

Sales of legal adult-use cannabis flower launched in Uruguay’s pharmacies in 2017, and part of Uruguay’s model is having pre-set prices for all recreational cannabis products sold in pharmacies. Periodically, regulators in Uruguay update those prices, which happened recently in the South American country.

When pharmacy sales began in 2017, Uruguay’s market initially offered two flower strains for consumers to choose from. The first is a strain named ‘Alfa, ‘ and the second strain is named ‘Beta,’ each with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels equal to or less than 9%, and cannabidiol (CBD) levels equal to or less than 3%.

Then, in 2022, Uruguay permitted a third option, ‘Gamma,’ which has a THC level of equal to or less than 15%, and CBD levels of equal to or less than 1%. A fourth strain named ‘Épsilon’ was introduced to Uruguay’s legal market in October 2024. Épsilon has a THC level of equal to or less than 20%, and CBD levels of equal to or less than 1%.

“The Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) announced the new prices for adult-use cannabis dispensed in pharmacies.” reported Montevideo in its local reporting (translated from Spanish to English). “Along these lines, the agency ordered a $10 increase as part of the semiannual update corresponding to August of the new product prices.”

The updated pricing for each strain is below, in Uruguayan pesos:

Since Uruguay adopted its legalization model, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, South Africa, and the Czech Republic have also adopted national legalization measures. However, out of the countries that have legalized cannabis for adult use, only Uruguay currently has a set-price model for legal products.

The theory behind Uruguay’s approach to cannabis pricing is that by offering cannabis through the nation’s pharmacies and keeping prices reasonable, it combats the unregulated market. Legal cannabis purchases in Uruguay are limited to residents only. Over 75,000 consumers have registered to make legal purchases through the nation’s pharmacies.

Uruguay