Wild, phlegmatic and distinguished, Uruguay offers its visitors much more than the flowers of a legalization that is about to celebrate its 9th anniversary. Here’s a tale of love at first sight, set against a backdrop of sunsets.
I leave the Paris of January, the one that wakes up under a light gray sky, still a little drunk from the New Year, to join the woman I love on the other side of the world. A 15-hour flight in eco, between crying babies and snoring fatties, I had no time to get bored. Paris, Madrid, Montevideo, and finally Punta del Este. We drive along the coast, music blaring and legal cannabis cigarettes in our mouths, it’s already vacation time…
“EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYONE; FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, NICKNAME, ALCOHOL AND GANJA OF CHOICE”.
For a month now, the whole country has been celebrating the austral summer. And what a party it is! Families and friends get together, there’s always something to do, you’re never alone. Rarely have I felt such a sense of community, of tribe even, with everyone knowing each other: first name, last name, nickname, alcohol and ganja of choice. Here, everything is calm, luxury and the bewitching waft of subtly legalized cannabis.
Uruguay is the first country in the world to legalize the sale, consumption and cultivation of cannabis. As soon as I arrived, I was treated to samples of the local terroir, and I already didn’t want to go back to France. Here, consumers can buy up to 40 grams a month and can choose between four flower varieties, all with low THC levels. Enthusiasts of the beautiful plant can find what they’re looking for in the dozens of self-operated pharmacies. In 2021, 56% of the cannabis consumed in Uruguay came from legal channels.
Read the full article in issue 2 of ZEWEED magazine, available from your newsagent at this link .
