Uruguay became the first country in the world back in 2013 to announce that it was going to fully legalize cannabis in the country.

Officials there wanted to allow for recreational use, but first had to ensure that they had control over every sector of the cannabis market: production, distribution, and the selling of cannabis.

Critics in the country of the move for legalization say that it encourages consumption but the officials in the country still don't promote cannabis as if the product is risk-free and they say that aren't looking to promote the consumption of it.

A number of farmers in the region are enthusiastic about switching over to growing cannabis instead of other crops because, they say, there is more financial opportunity for them if they grow that crop.

It took several years for the government to sort out their rules in the matter but they say that they are now ready to roll-out selling cannabis in various pharmacies in the country.

Just this week, many Uruguayans became the first in the world to sign-up for recreational cannabis from the state.

They also plan to only sell the cannabis to residents of the country rather than trying to market the area as a cannabis tourist spot.

Unlike other areas that already distribute cannabis to the citizens for medicinal purposes, or areas that have decriminalized cannabis like those in Europe, Uruguay is the first to fully legalize cannabis.

There are some cannabis advocates in the country who are concerned about privacy rights and they don't want to have to sign-up with the government in order to access the cannabis, but many others have already started the registration process.

This registration with the state is the final step for their plan for seeing cannabis be fully legalized for recreational use.

Pics:
Flickr Creative Commons/MendezEnrique via flickr.com/photos/enrique_mendez/

Sources:
https://www.rt.com/viral/386855-uruguay-pharmacy-cannabis-register/
https://steemit.com/cannabis/@doitvoluntarily/uruguay-finally-ready-to-unveil-cannabis-legalization
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/02/uruguayans-sign-state-cannabis-world-first/
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/more-500-sign-buy-legal-cannabis-uruguay-163125754.html