Three types of cannabis to hit Uruguayan pharmacies in 2016

Visitors take pictures of themselves with a cannabis plant during the Expo Cannabis Fair, the second of its kind after Uruguay legalised cannabis production and sales. Photo: AP

Uruguayans will be able to choose from three varieties of state-sanctioned cannabis when it starts being sold in pharmacies in the small South American country next year.

Each variety will have different levels of the mind-altering compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), believed to soften the impacts of THC, said the board's president, Milton Romani.

"There will be three options with indications about the effects of each that point beginners toward starting with the lowest level" of THC, Mr Romani said on the sidelines of the cannabis forum Expocannabis 2015.

Uruguay became the first country to legalise the cultivation and distribution of cannabis in late 2013, aiming to take control of the trade from gangs while regulating and taxing its consumption.

Authorities have developed traceable, genetically-distinct plants to ensure they do not leave Uruguay's borders or end up on the black market, Mr Romani said.

The government estimates registered cannabis users will be able to buy the drug from pharmacies in mid-2016, when the country's two licensed producers start selling their first commercial load of about four tonnes.

Cannabis will be sold in Uruguay at about $US1 per gram, with locals allowed to buy up to 40 grams per month.

Uruguay's pioneering cannabis law has drawn world attention at a time when policymakers are debating whether strict anti-drug laws are effective.

Last month Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said he would open a national debate to review the country's cannabis laws following a landmark court ruling.

Uruguay has granted cannabis-growing licences to two companies and so far registered 3200 people who can grow up to six plants for personal use.

Authorities are also working with companies interested in exploring the possibility of exporting medical cannabis to the United States and Europe.

But the government has struggled to meet some of its own deadlines for implementing the legislation passed two years ago.

"We want to do things right, and if takes a bit longer, so be it," Mr Romani said. "We have to be very careful with this because any slip-up could ruin an experience that is unique in the world."

- Reuters