Montevideo Carnival 2027 dates
Hot off the press! The world’s longest carnival is in Montevideo Uruguay and we’ve got the dates.
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Uruguayans generally don’t make a fuss over things, but the liberal attitude towards cannabis is surprising even by our standards. You can find CBD-infused creams and syrups in any pharmacy chain, the scent of weed lingers in outdoor spaces, “happy” brownies are sold at farmers’ markets, and the world and his spouse has tried it at least once.
Personal use of cannabis has been decriminalised in Uruguay as far back as 1974. What is illegal is selling unless you’re a registered grower with the appropriate permits. Uruguayans and residents can either buy from pharmacies, grow their own, or become members of growers clubs. Legal cannabis is sold in the form of “buds” (dried flowers of the plant) in brightly coloured sealed packets.
The pharmacy system—only forty outlets in the entire country currently opt to sell cannabis (most pharmacies chose not to, especially outside of the capital)—is tightly controlled. Buyers must first register and are then limited to purchasing 10 grams per week (enough for roughly 20 joints). When sales begin, customers enter one at a time, placing their thumb on a scanner to verify they’re registered and haven’t already hit their monthly limit of 40 grams. The transaction must be in cash, as banks will ban pharmacies from using their services if they sell the substance.
The production and sale of cannabis in Uruguayan pharmacies is state-controlled and 70% of registered users buy from them. Unfortunately, if you are a foreigner you can’t show up at the counter asking for a quarter.
State grown cannabis in Uruguay is available in four varieties:
*Prices displayed as of 28/5/25 for a 5 gram package.
Nearly one in three people who consumed cannabis in Uruguay in the last 12 months obtained it, directly or indirectly, through one of these three regulated channels. In contrast, purchases from traditional drug trafficking (dominated by Paraguayan pressed cannabis) fell from 58% in 2014 to 11% in 2018, representing a significant decrease. Problematic cannabis use remained stable at 16% of consumers, remaining unaffected by the changes in legislation.
To ensure that Uruguay doesn’t become a hotspot of cannabis tourism as was the case in The Netherlands upon the dawn of “coffee shops”, cannabis is only sold to registered users at specific places. However, many hostels and bars are known for their 420 friendly atmosphere, where joints are passed around without asking many questions.
The new Ministry of Tourism suggested there is ‘some scope’ to move forward with the possibility of selling cannabis to visitors in Uruguay, but as of right now you cannot visit the plantations or purchase the buds.
Uruguay has a number of business opportunities across the whole cannabis supply chain – from research and farming to processing for medical, industrial, or even food products. There are over 100 companies in the game. Uruguay’s been exporting cannabis products since 2018. Over the years, exports have included everything from seeds and hemp grain to biomass for extraction, industrial hemp flowers (non-medical), high-THC medical flower and even finished pharma products and raw ingredients.
I believe the ubiquity of marihuana as dulled its lustre as a drug. It’s cheap, widely available, not frowned upon and pretty much normalised to consume in public settings. Parks, plazas, the smoking areas of bars and rooftop gardens are usually permeated by the smell of weed.
Some experts argue that the normalisation of cannabis could reduce the stigma around other drugs, but this has not led to a clear rise in cocaine, opiates or psychedelics use. However, reports highlight a significant drop among those who have ever tried cannabis and are aged between 15 and 18 after its legalisation.
Funny how some people will preach against tobacco while smoking weed. ‘It’s not the same,’ they say. ‘At least weed does something – cigarettes are just a vice.’ Uruguay has particularly strict anti-tobacco laws after having an oncologist as president for ten years. In a country where five grams of high-quality cannabis cost about the same as two packs of cigarettes, it’s easy to see why people might prefer the former. To each their own, I suppose.
Montevideo Carnival 2027 dates
Hot off the press! The world’s longest carnival is in Montevideo Uruguay and we’ve got the dates.
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2 responses
There’s a guy named localbudlord, got screwed by him despite some good but dated reviews. Avoid at all costs.
Very good description of the current (2025) cannabis scene in Uruguay. Thank you for this information. I used to be a cannabis user in Washington state when it was legalized in 2014 for retail sales. I had to stop due to my addiction caused by my autism, I believe. We still miss it though.