《中英對照讀新聞》Uruguay to start selling marijuana in pharmacies 烏拉圭將開始在藥房販售大麻

◎魏國金

Uruguay will become the world’s first country to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in pharmacies starting in July, the president’s office said.

烏拉圭將於7月成為全球第一個允許藥局販售消遣性大麻的國家，烏國總統辦公室說。

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The move is the last step in implementing a revolutionary law that the South American country adopted in 2013 that fully legalized the production, sale and consumption of marijuana.

此舉是落實一條革命性法律的最後一步，這個南美國家在2013年通過大麻生產、販賣與吸食完全合法化的法律。

The most innovative － and controversial － aspect of the law, pharmacy sales, had been on hold, with no clear timeline for when it would begin. But President Tabare Vazquez’s administration put an end to the uncertainty. "Cannabis will be dispensed in pharmacies starting in the month of July," said presidential aide Juan Andres Roballo.

該法最創新——但也帶有爭議性的部份，就是藥局販售大麻，這個部分之前遭保留，何時開賣則無明確時間表。不過，總統巴斯克斯的政府終結這個不確定性。「從7月開始，大麻將在藥局販售」，總統助理羅巴洛說。

Under the law, buyers must sign up for a national registry of marijuana users to ensure they have fulfilled licensing procedures and do not exceed the monthly maximum purchase of 40 grams. The registry － which is open only to Uruguayan citizens and permanent residents － will be up and running on May 2, Roballo said.

根據這項法律，買家必須在全國大麻使用人登記上註冊，以確定他們完成許可程序，而且不能超過每月最多購買40克大麻的限制。這項僅對烏拉圭公民與永久居民開放的登記，將於5月2日正式運作，羅巴洛說。

Only 16 pharmacies have signed agreements with the government to supply marijuana so far. The government is hoping to reach at least 30 by the time sales begin. Uruguay, a country of 3.4 million people, has an estimated 150,000 regular marijuana users.

迄今只有16家藥房與政府簽署供應大麻的協議。政府希望在開賣時能達到至少30家。全國人口340萬的烏拉圭估計有15萬人經常吸食大麻。

新聞辭典

recreational：消遣的、娛樂的。例如：recreational mathematics（趣味數學）

on hold：暫時停止。例句：They put their wedding plans on hold until they finished school.（他們暫停結婚計畫，直到完成學業。）

up and running：運作、運轉。例句：The engineer soon got the refrigerator up and running again.（技師很快地就讓冰箱再度運轉。）