title: Cannabis consumption patterns among frequent consumers in Uruguay.
abstract: In 2013, Uruguay became the first country to fully regulate the cannabis market, which now operates under state control. Cannabis can be legally acquired in three ways: growing it for personal use (self-cultivation), cannabis club membership, and from pharmacies (not yet implemented). Users must be entered into a confidential official registry to gain access.
  
  
  
  This article presents findings of a Respondent Driven Sample survey of 294 high-frequency cannabis consumers in the Montevideo metropolitan area.
  
  
  
  Frequent consumers resort to more than one method for acquiring cannabis, with illegal means still predominating after 1 year of the new regulation law. Cannabis users overwhelmingly support the current regulation, but many of them are reluctant to register.
  
  
  
  Some of the attitudes and behaviors of the high-frequency consumers pose a challenge to the success of the cannabis law. Individuals relying on more than one method of access defy the single access clause, a prerequisite for legal use, while the maximum amount of cannabis individuals can access monthly seems too high even for most frequent consumers, which might promote the emergence of a grey market. Reluctance to register among a significant proportion of high-frequency consumers raises doubts about the law's ability to achieve its stated objectives.
authors.affiliation: Insights Research & Consulting, Canelones, Uruguay. Electronic address: fboidi@insightsresearchandconsulting.com.
authors.forename: María Fernanda
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Boidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Political Sciences, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Queirolo
authors.affiliation: Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cruz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002188:Cannabis; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014583:Uruguay; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs
keywords: Cannabis regulation; Respondent driven sampling; Uruguay