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Cannabis and hemp in Uruguay: IRCCA licences, hemp under 1 percent THC, medicinal products and the limits on recreational sales

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Stable

Uruguay regulates the whole cannabis chain: planting, growing, harvesting and industrialising psychoactive cannabis (1 percent THC or more) is lawful only with prior authorisation of the Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (IRCCA), which grants licences and sanctions licensees (Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3, wording of Ley Nº 19.172; Ley Nº 19.172 art. 17 and 28). Non psychoactive hemp (up to 1 percent THC, seeds up to 0.5 percent) is authorised and controlled by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, and research and pharmaceutical production need IRCCA authorisation. Medicinal products require a prescription and Ministry of Public Health rules (Ley Nº 19.847), recreational sales are limited to registered users through licensed pharmacies at up to 40 grams a month, and IRCCA fines run from 20 to 2,000 UR.

USD figures use UYU 40.21 per US dollar, the BCU quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 27 October 2026; amounts in Unidades Indexadas (UI) use UYU 6.6792 per UI, the BCU quotation for 27 October 2026; amounts in Unidades Reajustables (UR) use UYU 1,940.77, the September 2026 value published by IMPO (Decreto Nº 229/026), the latest available on 27 October 2026. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Cannabis regulator	IRCCA (non State public entity) Ley Nº 19.172 art. 17, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
THC threshold for psychoactive cannabis	1 % of volume (equal or above)Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 B), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Maximum THC in hemp seed varieties	0.5 %Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 C), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Recreational pharmacy sales cap per user	40 grams per monthDecreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Home growing limit	6 plants (480 grams a year)Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 E), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Maximum IRCCA fine	2000 URLey Nº 19.172 art. 40, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Planting, growing, harvesting and selling any plant from which narcotics can be extracted is prohibited, with exceptions. Psychoactive cannabis means flowering tops of the female plant (excluding seeds and leaves separated from the stem), including oils, extracts and pharmaceutical preparations, with natural THC of 1 percent or more of volume. Planting, growing, harvesting, industrialising and selling psychoactive cannabis for purposes other than research or medicine is lawful within the legislation and with prior IRCCA authorisation, under its direct control; research and pharmaceutical industrialisation also need prior IRCCA authorisation. Unauthorised plantations must be destroyed with judicial intervention.
Cost to do it: Licence costs are fixed by the IRCCA board (Ley Nº 19.172 art. 29 D).
Example: A company producing CBD rich extracts above 1 percent THC for pharmaceutical use needs IRCCA authorisation. / Same in USD.Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 as worded by Ley Nº 19.172 art. 5, Art. 3 A), B) and D), 2013-12-20 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Planting, growing, harvesting, industrialising and selling non psychoactive cannabis (hemp) is allowed with prior authorisation and direct control of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries. Hemp means plants or parts of plants of the cannabis genus, leaves and flowering tops, with no more than 1 percent THC, including derivatives; hemp seed varieties used may not exceed 0.5 percent THC.
Cost to do it: Authorisation by the Ministry; no fee set in the law.
Example: A farmer growing hemp for fibre or seed applies to the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, not to IRCCA. / Same in USD.Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 C) as worded by Ley Nº 19.172 art. 5, Art. 3 C), 2013-12-20 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. The State controls import, export, planting, growing, harvesting, production, acquisition, storage, sale and distribution of cannabis through the institutions designated by law. IRCCA, a non State public legal entity linked to the Executive through the Ministry of Public Health, regulates and supervises the chain, grants licences to produce, process, store, distribute and sell psychoactive cannabis and their extensions, suspensions and cancellations, keeps the anonymous user register, records home growers and authorises membership clubs. IRCCA is exempt from all taxes except social security contributions.
Cost to do it: Licence costs set by the IRCCA board (art. 29 D).
Example: An investor in a licensed producer deals with IRCCA for licence changes, not only with company law registries. / Same in USD.Ley Nº 19.172 of 20 December 2013, Art. 2, 17, 18, 19, 27, 28 and 37, 2013-12-20 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Personal and shared supply routes are limited: home growing of up to six psychoactive plants and up to 480 grams a year per household; membership clubs of 15 to 45 members with up to 99 plants; licensed pharmacies selling to registered users up to 40 grams a month for non medical use, while medical use needs a prescription; and medicinal cannabis patient associations of 15 to 100 members with a treating doctor and a pharmacist. Harvested cannabis from licensed, research and home growing may not be pressed.
Cost to do it: Not a business cost; limits define the legal retail market.
Example: A licensed producer's domestic recreational sales reach users only through licensed pharmacies, at up to 40 grams per user a month. / Same in USD.Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 E) to H) as worded by Ley Nº 19.172 art. 5, literal H) added by Ley Nº 19.847 art. 18, Art. 3 E), F), G) and H), 2019-12-20 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Ley Nº 19.847 of 20 December 2019, art. 18, added literal H) on medicinal cannabis patient associations.

5. Access to medicinal cannabis treatment uses quality controlled products with a medical prescription: registered pharmaceutical specialities, plant products (plant speciality, new or traditional phytotherapeutic medicine, cannabis based plant product), magistral formulas prepared by pharmacists in specially enabled pharmacies from standardised extracts, and imports enabled by the Ministry of Public Health when prescribed. The Ministry sets quality and safety requirements and a certification and quality control system with public and private providers, and runs the national medicinal cannabis programme. The law also created an inter institutional commission on including cannabis in the financial system.
Cost to do it: Product registration and certification costs follow Ministry of Public Health rules.
Example: A Uruguayan producer can supply standardised extracts to pharmacies for magistral formulas if its production is enabled by the health authority. / Same in USD.Ley Nº 19.847 of 20 December 2019, Art. 4, 5, 9 and 10, 2019-12-20 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. The IRCCA board sanctions licence infringements, without prejudice to criminal liability, with warnings, fines from 20 to 2,000 UR, confiscation, destruction of goods, suspension from the register, temporary or permanent disqualification and partial or total, temporary or permanent closure of premises, alone or combined. Board resolutions can be challenged by a reposición appeal within 20 business days, which the board resolves within 30 business days.
Cost to do it: Fines from UR 20 (about UYU 38,815, US$965) to UR 2,000 (about UYU 3,881,540, US$96,532).
Example: A serious licence breach can cost up to UYU 3,881,540, plus closure. / About US$96,532 at most.Ley Nº 19.172, Art. 35, 39 and 40, 2013-12-20 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Activity	Authority	Key limits	Norm
Hemp (THC up to 1 percent)	Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries	Seeds up to 0.5 percent THC	Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 C)
Psychoactive cannabis production and industrialisation	IRCCA licence	Prior authorisation and direct control	art. 3 B)
Research and pharmaceutical use	IRCCA (and Ministry of Public Health)	Prior authorisation	art. 3 A) and D)
Pharmacy sales	IRCCA licence to pharmacies	40 grams a month per registered user; prescription for medical use	art. 3 G)
Membership clubs	IRCCA	15 to 45 members, 99 plants	art. 3 F)
Home growing	IRCCA record	6 plants, 480 grams a year	art. 3 E)
Patient associations	IRCCA and Ministry of Public Health	15 to 100 members	art. 3 H)

Legal routes in Uruguay's cannabis chain

Worked example

Sanction exposure: a licensee that breaches production conditions faces fines of UR 20 (about UYU 38,815, US$965) up to UR 2,000 (about UYU 3,881,540, US$96,532), plus possible closure (Ley Nº 19.172 art. 40).
Market sizing: recreational demand through pharmacies is capped by law at 40 grams per registered user a month, so 10,000 registered users buying the maximum would mean 400 kilograms a month (Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3).

Step by step

1. Classify the product: hemp (Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries), psychoactive cannabis (IRCCA) or medicinal product (Ministry of Public Health plus IRCCA).
2. Set up the company and apply for the relevant licence or authorisation; IRCCA fixes licence costs.
3. For medicinal products, follow Ministry of Public Health quality, registration and certification rules (Ley Nº 19.847 art. 4 and 5).
4. Confirm banking arrangements early; the law created an inter institutional commission on including cannabis in the financial system (Ley Nº 19.847 art. 9).
5. Keep inventories and premises ready for IRCCA inspections; challenge decisions within 20 business days (Ley Nº 19.172 art. 35).

Common traps

Hemp above 1 percent THC is psychoactive cannabis and falls under IRCCA, not the agriculture ministry (Decreto Ley Nº 14.294 art. 3 B and C).
Unauthorised plantations are destroyed by court order (art. 3).
Minors under 18 cannot access psychoactive cannabis for recreational use, with criminal liability for breaches (Ley Nº 19.172 art. 14).
Cannabis from licensed, research and home growing may not be pressed (art. 3).
The regulations are Decretos Nº 120/014, 214/020 and 215/020; check them for licence specifics.

Sources

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