South America’s First Cannabis Museum Has Opened

The city of Montevideo in Uruguay has opened a cannabis museum. The museum opened to educate people about the cannabis plant, which is one of the world’s oldest crops.

In 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalize medical marijuana through the legislative process, reports the Economic Times. The Uruguayan government now oversees the entire country’s medical marijuana industry.

Museum director, Eduardo Blasina, said, “Cannabis has historically had so many different benefits. It has been used as food, as a textile, to make fishing nets and paper, and today it is providing us with novel types of medicine.”

An interesting display item at the new museum is a prescription for marijuana that was written in California in 1915. Amsterdam’s popular cannabis and hash museum also contributed a few items to Uruguay’s museum. The first known hemp plantation traces back to 1782, before Uruguay became independent.

Uruguayans can grow marijuana if they register as a member of a state-regulated smoking club. Purchasing marijuana from a pharmacy is standard practice in Uruguay. Authorized marijuana buyers use a fingerprint recognition system.

The country regulates the amount that can be purchased to 1.4 ounces per month.

Photo: fb.com/HashMuseum