URUGUAY:  Uruguay, the first country to fully legalise the production, sale and distribution of marijuana, has called for bids from private growers who want to farm cannabis in a public field.

Open until August 18, the tender from the newly launched Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) seeks up to five growers who will get a licence to farm marijuana plants at a government-run field and sell it to consumers.

The growers will be allowed to produce and distribute a total of one to two tons of cannabis per year, to be sold at pharmacies for about US$1 a gram.

The plots up for bidding are all on a single field in the southwest of the country whose perimeter will be guarded 24 hours a day, officials said.