URUGUAY:  A group has taken steps to become the first officially recognized marijuana-growing club in Uruguay, where lawmakers have made their country the world’s first national marketplace for legal pot.

The Association of Cannabis Studies of Uruguay began the process by registering with the Education and Culture Ministry, Drug Control Chief Julio Calzada said Tuesday.

The club will have 40 members and will be headed by Laura Blanco. She told the Uruguayan newspaper El Pais that members will pay $300 each to join, and a monthly fee of up to $65. Some of the members will use the marijuana to treat medical conditions.

Lawmakers in December approved Uruguay’s experiment with marijuana, giving the government the power to oversee production, sales and consumption of a drug illegal almost everywhere else.