Latin America’s first cannabis museum is opening in Uruguay’s capital city of Montevideo this Friday as a vehicle to showcase the plant’s biological and cultural diversity, according to a report from Telesur. Uruguay is a fitting home for the exposition, as they became the first nation to fully legalize cannabis three years ago.
Museum Director Eduardo Blasina said the permanent gallery, which will also serve as a “cultural club,” will provide “a trip to one of the oldest crops in the world” which he called “one of the most important plants in the third millennium for its medicinal and soil reconstruction properties.”
“It’s a way to connect people who love nature, art and science,” he said in the report.
Uruguay’s cannabis laws allow marijuana to be sold over the counter at pharmacies and for adults to grow up to six plants for personal use. The legal cannabis market was supposed to begin this year, but delays have forced it to be pushed back until 2017. The nation passed the reforms under the administration of José “Pepe” Mujica as a way to undermine the illegal cannabis trade and curtail the power of drug smuggling cartels.
In addition to items of Latin American origin, the museum will feature installations contributed by Amsterdam’s Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum.