The consumption of cannabis in modern times (1)

D.Anton

In the seventeenth century the English introduced hemp in Virginia, and from that moment its use spread to all the English colonies of North America.
 It is known that the Declaration of American Independence was written on hemp paper and its editors, called “fathers of independence” of the country, were all consumers of this plant. 
In 1791 George Washington himself sought to promote domestic production of cannabis and somewhat later, President Thomas Jefferson proposed hemp plant rather than tobacco.
In the early nineteenth century when Napoleon’s armies conquered Egypt, the  administration of French invaded territories sought to restrict the consumption of hashish without success. The result was the opposite, due to contact between French soldiers and merchants to Egyptian society, cannabis use spread to certain intellectual sectors of French society.
In the 1840s several famous writers such as Baudelaire, Dumas, Balzac and others formed the “ Club des Hashischins “where dawamesc(a type of Algerian hashish) was consumed.  However, the prestige of the writers of this club failed to fully open the doors to the consumption of hashish. In 1848 during the rebellion of the Paris Commune, the students carried banners demanding free access to cannabis and ether.
The scientistic and naturalistic approach that prevailed in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century allowed cannabis for a time, and the use of cannabis began to expand to African countries.
Several doctors advocated its use as a remedy for various ailments. Some were O’Shaughnessy, England, Aubert-Roche in France, and finally JJ Moreau, also in France (Tours), who published a book entitled “Du Hashish Mentale et de l’Alienation” (Hashish and Mental alienation), triggering a wave of experimentation in certain circles of the Parisian elite.
Gradually, Europeans and Americans began to become familiar with hemp, and already during the first half of the twentieth century trade had become global.
At that time hashish was consumed in many different ways. Smoked in water pipes was only one of the modalities. Its consumption was much more common in candy ingestion, usually imported from the Middle East.
The effect of cannabis when “eaten” instead of smoking it, it’s very intense.
The description of Bayard Taylor published in Atlantic Monthly in 1854 is illustrative:
“ The sense of limits, the confinement of our senses in the borders of our own flesh and blood, fell instantly. The walls of my body fell exploded outward and demolished; without thinking that it was my way, I lost all idea of form, I felt that there was over a vast expanse of space .... The spirit (demon shall I say more) of hashish had complete possession of me. It was wrecked in the flooding of their illusions, and drifted helplessly wherever they wanted to take ... as I tried to describe my feelings to my friends who had not yet been affected by the drug and were sitting watching me incredulous, I suddenly found myself at the foot of the Great Pyramid Cheops ...  I wanted to climb it and just with the desire I was able to locate myself at its peak, above thousands of feet on the wheat fields and palm groves of Egypt. Looking down, and, to my amazement, I saw that was built, not limestone but of square blocks of tobacco Cavendish ...
The atmosphere was light, parfum, music ... sublimated beyond what the senses can receive in sobriety. In front of me, a thousand leagues, a vision of rainbow arches of sapphire, emerald, topaz and amethyst ruby ​​stretched. Thousands and tens of thousands flew in front of me, as my boat sped into the wonderful arcade; however the view stretched still far in front of me .  any sense of feeling was gratified. .But Above all things my mind was filled with a boundless sense of triumph.
Almost from the beginning, the spread of the plant was fought with varying intensity in the central countries. Religious and political elites had their reasons. Regular use of cannabis produces effects of “ego dillution” tend to erase gender differences and reduce aggression. And this clearly goes against the basic principles of the domination society.
(to continue)
From "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazú Ediciones.

The major psychoactive plants

The major psychoactive factors include many substances, generally of plant origin. Below is a list of the main synthetic plants that have been used historically and psychoactive compounds extracted from them ends.

1.  Poppy ( Papaver somniferum ) is a herbaceous flowering plant from which opium-bearing seeds are obtained. It contains several active substances with psychoactive properties: morphine (from which heroin is extracted), codeine and others.

2.  Hemp ( Cannabis sativa ), also improperly called marijuana, is a, native to southern Asia shrubby plant, which has psychoactive alkaloids with well defined properties. Hashish is obtained.from cannabis

3.  Peyote ( peyote ) is a cactus whose main active ingredient is mescaine. The peyote grows in arid subtropical areas of North America.

4.  Teonanacatl ( Mexican Psilocybe and Stropharia cubensis ) is formed by several species of psychoactive mushrooms that grow in the mountains of Mesoamerica (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guatemala). They contain psilocybin and psilocin

5.  Fly agaric ( Amanita muscaria ) is a psychoactive mushroom that grows in the Nordic and temperate mountain forests in Eurasia. It contains muscarine and muscimol.

6. Ayahuasca is an infusion prepared from a vine that grows in the Amazonian region. This vine called  Banisteriopsis caapi contains harmina13   (C 13 H 12 N 2 O), an alkaloid with strong sicoativas properties.

7. Ergot  ( Claviceps purpurea ) is a fungus that parasites rye, wheat and other grasses. It is strongly psychoactive and has significant toxicity that can be removed in its preparation. It is of Eurasian or North African origin. It contains several psychoactive alkaloids including lysergic acid, closely related to LSD-25 (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) the known synthetic psychedelic compound.

8.  Ololiuhqui ( Turbina corymbosa ), also called “seeds of the Virgin” is a vine found in Mexico whose seeds have visionary properties.Like the ergot alkaloids lysergic acid containing, with strongly psychoactive character.

9.  Aguacolla, also called San Pedro or giant ( Trichocereus pachanoi ) is a large-sized cactus (5-8 meters high) that grows in central and northwestern South Andes (Ecuador, Peru) America. Just as the peyote contains mescaline.

10. Coca is a very bushy plant of the Andean foothills in South America whose leaves contain numerous alkaloids, including cocaine.

11. Tobacco is a shrub native American origin grown in most of the native societies. It has several alkaloids, including nicotine.

12 Beleño ( Hyoscyamus niger ) is a herb of the family Solanaceae characteristic of Europe and the Mediterranean region. It contains tropane alkaloids, including hyoscyamine and scopolamine. The latter has visionary properties.

13. Belladonna ( Atropa belladonna ) is a typical European continent herbaceous plant of the family Solanaceae, which contains several tropane alkaloids including hyoscyamine and scopolamine.

14. Mandragora ( Mandragora officinarum ) is a herbaceous plant of European origin that has a thick and irregular root of anthropomorphic appearance. It contains several tropane alkaloids including hyoscyamine, scopolamine, atropine and mandragorina.

15. Iboga ( Tabernanthe iboga ) is a shrub of Central Africa whose roots are used for its visionary properties. It is a species of milkweed family, consisting of shrubs and trees characterized by their simple leaves, colorful flowers and a milky juice. It contains ibogaine and 11 more indole-alkaloids.

16.Syrian rue ( Peganum harmala ) is a small shrub native to the desert areas of the Mediterranean East. It contains beta-carboline alkaloids such as harmine, harmaline and harmine tetrahydro-with visionary properties.

17. Datura ( Datura inoxia ) is a perennial herb that can reach more than 1m high that grows in Mexico. The root is used, seeds and leaves lesser extent. It contains scopolamine and hyoscyamine.

 There are many other plants rich in alkaloids. Some of them are commonly used in industrial preparations and mass consumption (coffee, tea, chocolate, kola, mate, etc.) (see Chapter 6). Others are known only locally. Surely there are many whose properties are unknown. A complete list would include several thousand species.

From: Peoples, Drugs and Serpents, Danilo Anton, Piriguazú Ediciones

Legal Cannabis in Uruguay

A first step

Uruguay has taken a first step by authorizing the sale of recreational cannabis in pharmacies. A timid step, with a few pharmacies and small packages of 5 and 10 grams, weekly limit purchase and low doses.

There are two varieties: Alpha 1 and Beta 1. One contains 2% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 7% Cannabidiol (CBD).

The second one has a percentage of THC identical to the previous one, but it has 6% of CBD and is of Sativa variety. .

I clarify for those who do not know that cannabis (also called marihuana) has been cultivated since 5,000 years ago and was considered a sacred plant for a long time, it was even ingested by the Buddha during his fasts.

The demonization of cannabis is an example of the immense prejudices and ignorances of the repressive elites worldwide.

Curiously, this timid passage of Uruguay is considered revolutionary in the rest of the world, demonstrating the uninformed obsession of international political and police bureaucracies.

Predictably, in less than a day the stocks were exhausted.

Although Uruguay has made progress on this issue, there remains a complete lack of information (and a great many prejudices) on a large part of the Uruguayan population, which to some extent thinks that production and consumption should not be legalized.

Personally I am not a smoker of marijuana or tobacco but I registered as a buyer to express my support for this attempt and my total opposition to the biased and cruel prohibitionism.

I also plan to consume cannabis as part of the diet (for example in infusion or other forms which I will see).

I refer to a book I published more than 15 years ago on the subject of drugs (including cannabis) entitled "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents" by Piriguazú Editions that can be requested from dantonster@gmail.com

About the dissemination of cannabis in Western societies

Danilo Anton

In the seventeenth century the English introduced hemp in Virginia, and from that moment its use spread to all the English colonies of North America.

 It is known that the Declaration of American Independence was written on hemp paper and its editors, called “fathers of independence” of the country, were all consumers of this plant. 12

In 1791 George Washington himself sought to promote domestic production of cannabis and somewhat later, President Thomas Jefferson proposed hemp plant rather than tobacco.

In the early nineteenth century when Napoleon’s armies conquered Egypt, the  administration of French invaded territories sought to restrict the consumption of hashish without success. The result was the opposite, due to contact between French soldiers and merchants to Egyptian society, cannabis use spread to certain intellectual sectors of French society.

In the 1840s several famous writers such as Baudelaire, Dumas, Balzac and others formed the “ Club des Hashischins “where dawamesc (a type of Algerian hashish) was consumed.  However, the prestige of the writers of this club failed to fully open the doors to the consumption of hashish. In 1848 during the rebellion of the Paris Commune, the students carried banners demanding free access to cannabis and ether.

The scientistic and naturalistic approach that prevailed in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century allowed cannabis for a time, and the use of cannabis began to expand to African countries.

Several doctors advocated its use as a remedy for various ailments. Some were O’Shaughnessy, England, Aubert-Roche in France, and finally JJ Moreau, also in France (Tours), who published a book entitled “Du Hashish Mentale et de l’Alienation” (Hashish and Mental alienation), triggering a wave of experimentation in certain circles of the Parisian elite.

Gradually, Europeans and Americans began to become familiar with hemp, and already during the first half of the twentieth century trade had become global.

At that time hashish was consumed in many different ways. Smoked in water pipes was only one of the modalities. Its consumption was much more common in candy ingestion, usually imported from the Middle East.

The effect of cannabis when “eaten” instead of smoking it, it’s very intense.

The description of Bayard Taylor published in Atlantic Monthly in 1854 is illustrative:

“ The sense of limits, the confinement of our senses in the borders of our own flesh and blood, fell instantly. The walls of my body fell exploded outward and demolished; without thinking that it was my way, I lost all idea of form, I felt that there was over a vast expanse of space .... The spirit (demon shall I say more) of hashish had complete possession of me. It was wrecked in the flooding of their illusions, and drifted helplessly wherever they wanted to take ... as I tried to describe my feelings to my friends who had not yet been affected by the drug and were sitting watching me incredulous, I suddenly found myself at the foot of the Great Pyramid Cheops ...  I wanted to climb it and just with the desire I was able to locate myself at its peak, above thousands of feet on the wheat fields and palm groves of Egypt. Looking down, and, to my amazement, I saw that was built, not limestone but of square blocks of tobacco Cavendish ...

The atmosphere was light, parfum, music ... sublimated beyond what the senses can receive in sobriety. In front of me, a thousand leagues, a vision of rainbow arches of sapphire, emerald, topaz and amethyst ruby ​​stretched. Thousands and tens of thousands flew in front of me, as my boat sped into the wonderful arcade; however the view stretched still far in front of me.  any sense of feeling was gratified. .But Above all things my mind was filled with a boundless sense of triumph.".

Almost from the beginning, the spread of the plant was fought with varying intensity in the central countries. Religious and political elites had their reasons. Regular use of cannabis produces effects of “ego dillution” tend to erase gender differences and reduce aggression. And this clearly goes against the basic principles of the domination society.

The “ hippie “ revolution of the late sixties and early seventies was perhaps the strongest attempt to achieve legitimization of cannabis.

From" "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

The consumption of cannabis in modern times (1)
D.Anton

In the seventeenth century the English introduced hemp in Virginia, and from that moment its use spread to all the English colonies of North America.
 It is known that the Declaration of American Independence was written on hemp paper and its editors, called “fathers of independence” of the country, were all consumers of this plant. 
In 1791 George Washington himself sought to promote domestic production of cannabis and somewhat later, President Thomas Jefferson proposed hemp plant rather than tobacco.
In the early nineteenth century when Napoleon’s armies conquered Egypt, the  administration of French invaded territories sought to restrict the consumption of hashish without success. The result was the opposite, due to contact between French soldiers and merchants to Egyptian society, cannabis use spread to certain intellectual sectors of French society.
In the 1840s several famous writers such as Baudelaire, Dumas, Balzac and others formed the “ Club des Hashischins “where dawamesc(a type of Algerian hashish) was consumed.  However, the prestige of the writers of this club failed to fully open the doors to the consumption of hashish. In 1848 during the rebellion of the Paris Commune, the students carried banners demanding free access to cannabis and ether.
The scientistic and naturalistic approach that prevailed in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century allowed cannabis for a time, and the use of cannabis began to expand to African countries.
Several doctors advocated its use as a remedy for various ailments. Some were O’Shaughnessy, England, Aubert-Roche in France, and finally JJ Moreau, also in France (Tours), who published a book entitled “Du Hashish Mentale et de l’Alienation” (Hashish and Mental alienation), triggering a wave of experimentation in certain circles of the Parisian elite.
Gradually, Europeans and Americans began to become familiar with hemp, and already during the first half of the twentieth century trade had become global.
At that time hashish was consumed in many different ways. Smoked in water pipes was only one of the modalities. Its consumption was much more common in candy ingestion, usually imported from the Middle East.
The effect of cannabis when “eaten” instead of smoking it, it’s very intense.
The description of Bayard Taylor published in Atlantic Monthly in 1854 is illustrative:
“ The sense of limits, the confinement of our senses in the borders of our own flesh and blood, fell instantly. The walls of my body fell exploded outward and demolished; without thinking that it was my way, I lost all idea of form, I felt that there was over a vast expanse of space .... The spirit (demon shall I say more) of hashish had complete possession of me. It was wrecked in the flooding of their illusions, and drifted helplessly wherever they wanted to take ... as I tried to describe my feelings to my friends who had not yet been affected by the drug and were sitting watching me incredulous, I suddenly found myself at the foot of the Great Pyramid Cheops ...  I wanted to climb it and just with the desire I was able to locate myself at its peak, above thousands of feet on the wheat fields and palm groves of Egypt. Looking down, and, to my amazement, I saw that was built, not limestone but of square blocks of tobacco Cavendish ...
The atmosphere was light, parfum, music ... sublimated beyond what the senses can receive in sobriety. In front of me, a thousand leagues, a vision of rainbow arches of sapphire, emerald, topaz and amethyst ruby ​​stretched. Thousands and tens of thousands flew in front of me, as my boat sped into the wonderful arcade; however the view stretched still far in front of me .  any sense of feeling was gratified. .But Above all things my mind was filled with a boundless sense of triumph.
Almost from the beginning, the spread of the plant was fought with varying intensity in the central countries. Religious and political elites had their reasons. Regular use of cannabis produces effects of “ego dillution” tend to erase gender differences and reduce aggression. And this clearly goes against the basic principles of the domination society.
(to continue)
From "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazú Ediciones.

The origins of cannabis

D.Anton

There are references to the use of cannabis several thousand years ago in its area of origin (India) and China. Around 2700 BC the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung encouraged hemp cultivation to produce fibers (perhaps also for other purposes), and in the third century bce Hoa-Thom, doctor of Chinese origin, recommended cannabis preparations wine as an anesthetic, noting that “ after a few days or end of the month, the patient feels is restored without experiencing any pain during the operation “.   .

It is thought that cannabis came to Europe around 1500 bc. There are references to its use by Scythians, nomadic herders natives of southeast Europe (areas of the rivers Don and Dnieper), who introduced it in Greece around the eighth century bc.

Herodotus described the Scythian custom as follows.

“ They have a type of grass that grows in this country (Scythian) as hemp ... When the Scythians harvest the sprouts of this hemp, they take refuge in their felt tents and throw the sprouts on  a hot stone, which produce smoke and steam stronger than the most energetic Greek sweat bath.  The Scythians carried by the vapor steam, they soon cry of pleasure ... ‘.

In another fragment the Greek writer said:

“ The Scythians have discovered other trees producing a special fruit and people gathering around a fire through it into the fire, sit around in a circle; and inhale the fumes of the burned fruit, they feel intoxicated in the same by its odourpir or feel the smell of mismomodo as the Greeks do with wine; and the more fruit is thrown become more intoxicated, until you get up to dance and sing. “   

From that time hemp was adopted by many Middle Eastern peoples who consume its products, including hashish.

Commenting on the description of Herodotus, Werner Keller 11   states: “ Herodotus must never felt personally the effects of hashish. Otherwise he would have known that it does not  produces only pleasure but ecstasy. And these “baths” were not intended for cleaning or healing. They were religious rituals of the Scitinas.

Keller’s comments are not acceptable. First the difference between pleasure and ecstasy is difficult to establish. Likewise also the distinction between “cleaning” and “healing”, and religious rituals are well appreciated. Many religious ceremonies are designed specifically for cleaning or healing.

The Roman naturalist Pliny (23-79 AD) quotes a fragment  of Democrates in relation to a plant called thalassaegle or potamaugis  that many think it was hemp.

“ Ingested in drink produces a delirium that includes beautiful visions of an extraordinary nature. “

At present, there are still groups in the region of Altai “who get drunk in the same way ... burning twigs of hemp in a closed tent “(Keller, 1975).

To this we must add the various modalities of  this type of ceremony,  from the Finnish sauna to the Mexican bathhouse. During these practices herbs or leaves that introduce smoke are usually added. They are often psychoactive, the concentrated vapor inside the tents. Probably the Scythians ceremonies were related to such practices.

In India there was a clear awareness of the role of cannabis as a psychoactive substance. For many centuries, both Hindu and Muslim, cannabis consumption was related to the esoteric aspects of spirituality, yoga practices and emphasis of their use as ways to access the experiences of the transcendent.

Due to the mentioned properties, according to McKenna, the cannabis plant was indicated to replace the oldest psychoactive plants (such as soma) when they were banned and forgotten. Indeed, this occurred in much of the Middle East. This author believes that the presence of cannabis in the Hindu and Islamic societies may have slowed the expansion of societies of domination in these countries.

In Europe the diffusion process was much more complex. The famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo, in their travel stories (1290), includes the popular tale “The Old Man of the Mountain” of Ibn Saba, leader of the cult of the hashishin consumers of hashish. From hashishin emerge the term “assassin” Then, in sixteen century Europe, Johannus Weier mentioned the use of hashish by certain witches, maintaining its character of prohibited or unknown substance for three hundred years.

In the seventeenth century the English introduced hemp in Virginia, and from that moment its use spread to all the English colonies of North America.

 It is known that the Declaration of American Independence was written on hemp paper and its editors, called “fathers of independence” of the country, were all consumers of this plant. 

In 1791 George Washington himself sought to promote domestic production of cannabis and somewhat later, President Thomas Jefferson proposed hemp plant rather than tobacco.

In the early nineteenth century when Napoleon’s armies conquered Egypt, the  administration of French invaded territories sought to restrict the consumption of hashish without success. The result was the opposite, due to contact between French soldiers and merchants to Egyptian society, cannabis use spread to certain intellectual sectors of French society.

In the 1840s several famous writers such as Baudelaire, Dumas, Balzac and others formed the “ Club des Hashischins “where dawamesc(a type of Algerian hashish) was consumed.  However, the prestige of the writers of this club failed to fully open the doors to the consumption of hashish. In 1848 during the rebellion of the Paris Commune, the students carried banners demanding free access to cannabis and ether.

The scientistic and naturalistic approach that prevailed in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century allowed cannabis for a time, and the use of cannabis began to expand to African countries.

Several doctors advocated its use as a remedy for various ailments. Some were O’Shaughnessy, England, Aubert-Roche in France, and finally JJ Moreau, also in France (Tours), who published a book entitled “Du Hashish Mentale et de l’Alienation” (Hashish and Mental alienation), triggering a wave of experimentation in certain circles of the Parisian elite.

Gradually, Europeans and Americans began to become familiar with hemp, and already during the first half of the twentieth century trade had become global.

At that time hashish was consumed in many different ways. Smoked in water pipes was only one of the modalities. Its consumption was much more common in candy ingestion, usually imported from the Middle East.

The effect of cannabis when “eaten” instead of smoking it, it’s very intense.

The description of Bayard Taylor published in Atlantic Monthly in 1854 is illustrative:

“ The sense of limits, the confinement of our senses in the borders of our own flesh and blood, fell instantly. The walls of my body fell exploded outward and demolished; without thinking that it was my way, I lost all idea of form, 

(to be continued)

From: "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

Hemp, marihuana, cannabis

For the masters of the planet, a plant and a flower
seem to be the deadliest weapon.

Hemp is a family of bushes (Cannabaceae ) that has been cultivated since ancient times (perhaps Cannabis sativa , originated in India, which is used as a medicinal and visionary plant (usually referred to as being “weak hallucinogen”) since ancient times. In different places and times cannabis has received many names: hashish, dagga, bhang, ganja y marihuana, among others.

more than 10,000 years). One of the main species is
Hemp occurs in both male and female form. Interestingly, only the female form produces the “resin” which has psychoactive properties. When pollen from male plants reach the female plants they begin to seed and resin production ceases.
The active ingredient that produces these effects is the tetrahidrocannabinol  that occurs on the blooms, leaves, seeds and stems of the female plant.   It has also been applied for sedative and analgesic  purposes.

The origins of cannabis

There are references to the use of cannabis several thousand years ago in its area of origin (India) and China. Around 2700 BC the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung encouraged hemp cultivation to produce fibers (perhaps also for other purposes), and in the third century bce Hoa-Thom, doctor of Chinese origin, recommended cannabis preparations wine as an anesthetic, noting that “ after a few days or end of the month, the patient feels is restored without experiencing any pain during the operation “ 8   It is thought that cannabis came to Europe around 1500 bc. There are references to its use by Scythians, nomadic herders natives of southeast Europe (areas of the rivers Don and Dnieper), who introduced it in Greece around the eighth century bc.
Herodotus described the Scythian custom as follows.
“ They have a type of grass that grows in this country (Scythian) as hemp ... When the Scythians harvest the sprouts of this hemp, they take refuge in their felt tents and throw the sprouts on  a hot stone, which produce smoke and steam stronger than the most energetic Greek sweat bath.  The Scythians carried by the vapor steam, they soon cry of pleasure ... ‘.
In another fragment the Greek writer said:
“ The Scythians have discovered other trees producing a special fruit and people gathering around a fire through it into the fire, sit around in a circle; and inhale the fumes of the burned fruit, they feel intoxicated in the same by its odourpir or feel the smell of mismomodo as the Greeks do with wine; and the more fruit is thrown become more intoxicated, until you get up to dance and sing. “ 10
From that time hemp was adopted by many Middle Eastern peoples who consume its products, including hashish.
Much later the irrational prohibitionis cruzade starte a worldwide war agains the sacred plant.
To continue
From "Peoples, Drugs ans Serpents", Danilo Anton, 2016, Piriguazú Ediciones

Marihuana fake legality

Legalization of cannabis in Uruguay

The legalization of cannabis in Uruguay is having problems for their application. There are many aspects that need to be solved. Whoever produces cannabis and sell it, even if it is very little may end in jail for several months. 

There are judges and some police authorities that interpret the law in their own way. And there are still many prejudices. A lot needs to be done to properly apply President Mujica's initiative. The following article describes the problems arising from the inadequate application of the Cannabis Legalization Law.

http://druglawreform.info/en/publications/systems-overload/item/874-drug-laws-and-prisons-in-uruguay

Drug Laws and Prisons in Uruguay

Systems Overload: Drug Laws and Prisons in Latin America

Uruguay has one of the most advanced drug policies on the continent. In Uruguay, the law does not criminalize drug use or possession of drugs for personal use. In addition, in recent years its national drug policies have prioritized the prosecution of medium and large-scale traffickers rather than focusing resources and energy on small-time dealers who are easily replaced. This country study examines the scope of the legislation, the policies developed and how the normative and policy frameworks find expression in Uruguay’s prison system, with a special focus on the population incarcerated for drug-related offenses.

Much like other Southern Cone countries, Uruguay has historically served as a transit country for controlled substances on their way to Europe. An important change in the use of controlled substances, associated with their availability on the drug market, has taken place over the last fifteen years in southern Latin America, especially in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.

As an indirect effect of international interdiction policies, and as a result of other factors that are yet to be well understood, laboratories producing cocaine hydrochloride began to appear in the Southern Cone countries. “Paco”, a substance whose origin can still not be determined with certainty, began to appear in drug markets in these countries.

In Uruguay, the law does not criminalize drug use or possession for personal consumption. In recent years, Uruguayan national drug policies have focused on specific directives, for both police and judicial personnel, aimed at prioritizing the repression of medium and large traffickers, and not at small-scale drug dealers. The impact of these directives in terms of drug policies cannot yet be fully evaluated. Nonetheless, a prison crisis persists in Uruguay in which ever larger numbers of youths, and other vulnerable sectors of society, situated at the lowest levels of the drug-trafficking chain are entering the prison system.

As revealed in the Uruguay chapter of the research study Systems Overload: Drug Laws and Prisons in Latin America, most of the police drug seizure operations confiscate only 10 grams of drugs or less, usually marihuana. In other words, although the policy guidelines recommend focusing operations on middle and large-scale drug traffickers, most of the operations actually deal with cases of possession where quantities of substances are close to the limit defined as possession for use. And in trafficking cases, they usually relate to small-scale dealing. (Consult the study for these and more statistics.)

“The fact that most of the drug seizure operations are to confiscate 10 grams or less, usually of marijuana, is a waste of police and judicial resources,” says Giorgina Garibotto, researcher for the Uruguay chapter. “The country’s recent drug policy objective – to get the police to target middle and large-scale drug traffickers – has yet to be realized in practice.”

The case of cocaine base paste (PBC) is worth a special mention because although specific guidelines exist to prioritize tackling points of sale of this substance, it can be seen that in 258 cases only two grams or less of PBC were confiscated. This brings up the question of whether it is actually the traffickers of this substance who are being detained, or merely the most vulnerable users.

The percentage of the population imprisoned for drug related crimes (11 percent) is still low compared to other crimes and compared to other Latin American countries. However, the justice system and prison systems are plagued by delays in issuing sentences, insufficient use of alternative penalties, and its abuse of preventive detention.

“Those who are put on trial for 10 grams of drugs or less should be candidates for alternative sanctions, and under no circumstances should they be sent to high security prisons,” states Garibotto. “In many cases, the use of alternative penalties is a better option, as imprisonment has a profoundly negative impact on the lives of these young people and their families.”

The prisoners interviewed for this study described some of these negative impacts. For example, in one case a 21-year-old student told how he decided to plant seven cannabis plants in his plant nursery and acknowledged that he committed the crime of selling small amounts of marijuana to some people he knew. This young man explained that one day the house was raided and both he and his father were arrested. Now, he regrets that he has to serve a sentence of 2 years and 4 months for the sale and production of marijuana, and that his father, who was months away from retirement, was given an 8 month sentence for production, causing him to lose his income. The marihuana, plants, and seeds the police found in his house didn’t amount to more than 10 grams (in total).

“This case makes one question whether this young man received a proportionate and appropriate sentence for the crime he committed,” says Garibotto. “Cases like this contribute to overloading the prison system without a clear justification.”

Uruguay has the second highest prison population rate in Latin America, a rate that continues to rise. In 2009 the situation of overcrowding had reached a level of 138 percent occupancy. One of the prisoners interviewed, for example, shares a three-person cell with seven other men. During 2010, the new government increased the Ministry of the Interior’s budget and a significant part of this will go to improving and strengthening the prison system.

Why is marijuana illegal? (almost everywhere)

Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.  The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You’ll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate.

You’ll also see that the history of marijuana’s criminalization is filled with:

• Racism
• Fear
• Protection of Corporate Profits
• Yellow Journalism
• Ignorant, Incompetent, and/or Corrupt Legislators
• Personal Career Advancement and Greed

These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal.

Background

For most of human history, marijuana has been completely legal. It’s not a recently discovered plant, nor is it a long-standing law. Marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it’s been in use. Its known uses go back further than 7,000 B.C. and it was legal as recently as when Ronald Reagan was a boy. The marijuana (hemp) plant, of course, has an incredible number of uses. The earliest known woven fabric was apparently of hemp, and over the centuries the plant was used for food, incense, cloth, rope, and much more. This adds to some of the confusion over its introduction in the United States, as the plant was well known from the early 1600’s, but did not reach public awareness as a recreational drug until the early 1900’s. America’s first marijuana law was enacted at Jamestown Colony, Virginia in 1619. It was a law “ordering” all farmers to grow Indian hempseed. There were several other “must grow” laws over the next 200 years (you could be jailed for not growing hemp during times of shortage in Virginia between 1763 and 1767), and during most of that time, hemp was legal tender (you could even pay your taxes with hemp — try that today!) Hemp was such a critical crop for a number of purposes (including essential war requirements – rope, etc.) that the government went out of its way to encourage growth.  The United States Census of 1850 counted 8,327 hemp “plantations” (minimum 2,000-acre farm) growing cannabis hemp for cloth, canvas and even the cordage used for baling cotton.

The Mexican Connection

In the early 1900s, the western states developed significant tensions regarding the influx of Mexican-Americans. The revolution in Mexico in 1910 spilled over the border, with General Pershing’s army clashing with bandit Pancho Villa. Later in that decade, bad feelings developed between the small farmer and the large farms that used cheaper Mexican labor. Then, the depression came and increased tensions, as jobs and welfare resources became scarce. One of the “differences” seized upon during this time was the fact that many Mexicans smoked marijuana and had brought the plant with them, and it was through this that California apparently passed the first state marijuana law, outlawing “preparations of hemp, or loco weed.” However, one of the first state laws outlawing marijuana may have been influenced, not just by Mexicans using the drug, but, oddly enough, because of Mormons using it. Mormons who traveled to Mexico in 1910 came back to Salt Lake City with marijuana. The church’s reaction to this may have contributed to the state’s marijuana law. 

(Note: the source for this speculation is from articles by Charles Whitebread, Professor of Law at USC Law School in a paper for the Virginia Law Review, and a speech to the California Judges Association (sourced below). Mormon blogger Ardis Parshall disputes this.)

Reference:                 http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/