Uruguay
South America
#2 of 196 worldwide
#1 of 12 in South America
First country to legalise (2013). Registered residents choose between growing six plants, joining a club, or buying up to 40 g a month in pharmacies at state-set prices.
Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources.
Possession · 25%6/10adds 15.0 of 25 points
Possession for personal use has not been a crime since 1974, and the 2013 law presumes up to 40 g is personal. There is no separate home limit. The cannabis is only 'legal' if it came through one of the three registered routes.
Personal cultivation · 25%4/10adds 10.0 of 25 points
Registered residents may grow up to six flowering plants per household with an annual harvest of at most 480 g. Registration with the state regulator IRCCA is mandatory, and choosing home growing excludes you from pharmacies and clubs. Unregistered growing is an offence.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%6/10adds 12.0 of 20 points
Registered users are left alone. Growing or selling outside the registry remains a criminal offence under the drug law, with prison sentences measured in years.
Sharing & gifting · 10%3/10adds 3.0 of 10 points
The law is built around personal or household use. Club harvests are shared among members, but there is no general right to give cannabis to other adults, and any supply outside the registered channels can be prosecuted as dealing.
Consumption · 10%7/10adds 7.0 of 10 points
Smoking is allowed wherever tobacco is: not in enclosed public spaces, workplaces, schools or health facilities. Using in the street or a park is lawful, one of the most permissive rules anywhere. Working or driving under the influence is prohibited.
Legal access · 10%4/10adds 4.0 of 10 points
Only registered Uruguayan citizens and permanent residents aged 18+ can buy, at participating pharmacies, verified by fingerprint, up to 10 g a week (40 g a month) at a state-set price. Tourists are excluded. Each person must pick one route: pharmacy, club or home grow.
More context not part of the score
Cannabis for pharmacies is grown by a handful of companies chosen by state tender, on state-controlled land, with the state setting price and genetics. Membership clubs (15–45 members, up to 99 plants) are the only other producers. There is no open commercial licensing.
Pharmacies sell only a few state-specified flower varieties with capped THC — launched at very low potency and since raised, with the newest variety at up to about 20%. No edibles, concentrates or vapes in the legal market.
Medical cannabis is legal and a 2019 law aimed to widen access, but few registered products exist, they are expensive, and most patients rely on the adult-use channels or home-made preparations instead.
Three state registries hold the identity of every legal buyer, grower and club member. Driving has a zero-tolerance THC rule, and employers may test for use at work. No criminal record arises from personal use.
All sources
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