Uruguay: Goverment Marijuana Sales Finally Begin

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - After several unforeseen developments and delays, Uruguay's initiative to legalize and regulate the cultivation and consumption of marijuana domestically through licensed pharmacies finally began this week as customers lined up to make their purchases in the capital Montevideo and elsewhere.

Throughout the South American nation, 16 pharmacies are officially listed as certified vendors of marijuana, packaged in small bags that add up to a maximum of 40 grams per month.

Given that a significant minority of the local population was against the initiative from the beginning and that the United Nations is still voicing its displeasure with the development, the marijuana itself is of a "lower strength" with its tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, the main psychoactive element of marijuana, hovering between 2 and 4 percent.

Furthermore, the...