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Uruguay's marijuana law turns pharmacists into dealers

It is the first nation in the world to fully legalise the production & sale of marijuana

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People queue in line outside of a pharmacy to buy legal marijuana in Montevideo, Uruguay | Photo: Reuters

Ernesto Londono | NYT Montevideo (Uruguay)
The rules are a bit of a buzzkill. Drug users must officially register with the government. Machines will scan buyers’ fingerprints at every purchase, and there are strict quotas to prevent overindulgence.

But when Uruguay’s marijuana legalisation law takes full effect on Wednesday, getting high will take a simple visit to the pharmacy.

As American states legalise marijuana and governments in the hemisphere rethink the fight against drugs, Uruguay is taking a significant step further: It is the first nation in the world to fully legalise the production and sale of marijuana for recreational use.

“The great responsibility we have in Uruguay is