Intended and unintended effects of cannabis regulation in Uruguay

Abstract

Ten years after Uruguay legalised cannabis, the country’s experience provides valuable insights regarding the implementation of such a policy. Uruguay’s regulation of cannabis represented an innovative policy based on a state-controlled model that yielded both expected and unexpected effects. To study these effects, we employed a qualitative research design and analysed six key outcome dimensions: accessibility, pharmacies, cannabis social clubs, quantity, prices and quality. The research included 23 interviews with key informants and 25 interviews with frequent cannabis consumers, complemented by secondary data analysis. We propose that the unintended effects of the policy, such as the formation of a ‘grey market’ – the illegal distribution of legally produced cannabis – are attributable to: (1) the novel character of the regulation and, therefore, the lack of an evidence base to guide policy design and implementation; (2) the different preferences and policy dynamics that shaped the three different governments in office during the period; and (3) an implementation gap.