From the Ircca they point out the great acceptance of the Gamma variant as the reason behind the sales, which could double what was sold throughout last year.
The cannabis sale in the pharmacies of Uruguay It has already reached the same volumes so far in 2023 as it has sold throughout 2022, according to data from the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (Ircca)so it is estimated that this year could double sold them during the past year.
Despite the complex moment that the cannabis industry in the country —due to both local and global conjunctural circumstances, mainly around the regulation of production, especially for recreational uses, sales have been strongly increased so far this year, compared to the yields of 2022.
From IRCCA, they attribute this better performance to the commercialization of the third cannabis variant, gamma, that began to circulate in December of last year —along with the Alpha and Beta, already present on the market. This variant contains higher level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component of cannabis, a factor that would have attracted more marijuana users to the legal market.
“The performance we had was very good, to the point that already in the middle of 2023 we reached the consumption of all of last year. Going over the numbers we estimate that the year 2023 will have double the consumption than the year 2022”, affirmed the executive director of Ircca, Juan Ignacio Tastas, in dialogue with the daily. According to the institute, the commercialization of a variety with higher level of psychoactivity It was what many of the people who consume marijuana were looking for; and this positive response was reflected in sales.
In this sense, the objective of Ircca is not to increase consumption but to ensure that people who already do so at a recreational level have a safe option; above all, those who acquire cannabis in illegal markets.
Along the same lines, the registers of acquirers in the Uruguayan Mail to enter the cannabis system through pharmacies grew, and went from 51,257 registered at the beginning of 2023 to 61,129 at the end of the first semester. Since the commercialization of the Gamma variant, more than 800 people per month have been registered when the usual registration was 400 people per month. In March it was achieved record, with 3,500 new registered. In turn, people already registered who did not appear with recent consumption began to resume it.
Epsilon, the fourth variant
With the success of Gamma, Ircca is developing a fourth variety of marijuana for sale in pharmacies to be called epsilon and which is expected to enter the market in the middle of next year. This alternative will have similar THC levels to those of its predecessor, although with a general effect predominantly sativa, that is, with a psychoactive and energizing effect —while Gamma has an indica-dominant effect, defined as relaxing and calming.
This development also aims to continue attracting active consumers to the legal and safe market of cannabis.
Source: Ambito
