@masterraalkivictorieux Master Ra’al Ki Victorieux
The March for the Decriminalization of Marijuana continues to grow 🌿✊. For a change in perception and for respect for personal freedom! #Marijuana #Freedom #PositiveChange https://wp.me/p3JLEZ-91o
On this occasion, I share an article by Janet Valverde, who graduated with a degree in sociology from UAM and was a volunteer at ArT&+. It was published in 2005 in the electronic bulletin and blog “Lengua Lengua”. Arte y Más was a cultural organization that I founded and directed. The rescue and digitalization of this information is part of the preservation of the Atma Unum archive.
Million Marijuana March; March for the Decriminalization of Marijuana
In the late nineties in Europe, a group of people interested in prohibitionist policies and the myths surrounding marijuana organized a Civil Association to call for the Million Marijuana March-Liberation Day and entered the fight for the liberation or decriminalization of Marijuana. Using the Internet as a communication base, this march took place in approximately two hundred cities such as Berlin, Chicago, Cleveland, Copenhagen, Detroit, Dublin, Genoa, Hamburg, Las Vegas, Lima, Liverpool, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Rio de Janeiro, San Diego, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Vienna, among many others, on the first Saturday of May.
The demands of the “marchers” range from ending the numerous arrests for consuming weed; promoting medical uses to alleviate suffering in a very economical way for conditions like cancer, epilepsy, AIDS, dysmenorrhea, anorexia, among others; stopping the lies about marijuana that the government and television companies promote, feeding ignorance about this plant in the general population, and of course, this march is also against the moral intolerance that society has placed on cannabis consumers. In 2001, the first march in Mexico was held organized by a website, and instead of being a Million Marijuana March, it was a Mini Marijuana March as only about fifteen people attended, most of whom were strangers to each other, so they took advantage of the space and gathered to deliberate the best way to address the oppression that stoners face in Mexico. From this mini march, a small group of interested individuals organized and began conducting studies on marijuana, thus consolidating the AMECA (Mexican Association for Cannabis Studies), and officially called for the march for the decriminalization of marijuana on May 4, 2002, with the participation of various collectives such as the Alicia multiforum, the La Pirámide Cultural Center, Hemp.com.mx, Historia en movimiento (History in movement), and the vivecondrogas.com (live with drugs) web portal of Ricardo Salas. The debate and demand at the march revolved around how both authorities and mass media, on one hand, condemn the trafficking and consumption of drugs, while on the other hand, promote the use of alcohol and tobacco, of which it was said “scientifically it is proven that they cause more harm to those who consume them than marijuana.”
By 2003, the increase in demonstrators was very noticeable. According to Maria Rivera from La Jornada, “thousands participated in the march for the decriminalization of marijuana.” More collectives joined in, including the Zapatista collective “Tierra y Libertad,” who resurrected the slogan “Land to plant it and freedom to smoke it!” In this march, the Mexico Posible party made its appearance with the slogan “Strike a blow to drug trafficking: Legalize Marijuana.” AMECA stated that the party was likely joining the march for electoral purposes and had nothing to do with the organization, but that all those in favor of decriminalization were welcome.
In 2004, under the gaze of some skeptics, the March for the decriminalization of Marijuana gained momentum, attracting more and more attendees in a festive atmosphere, following the tradition of marching without causing traffic chaos and smoking a joint on their day accompanied by poetry dedicated to Marijuana.
What does 2005 have in store for the MMM? Good omens; in fact, on Sunday, December 5, 2004, a debate table called “The freedom of the joint,” Decriminalization of Marijuana? was held at the Forum of Liberties organized by the Mexico City government in Iztacalco, with participants such as Ricardo Sala, Leopoldo Rivera, Carlos Rentería, and Juan Pablo García Vallejo, who read the Pacheco Manifesto created in 1985 under a highly oppressive regime, finally with total freedom, among others. On the other hand, the film debate on drugs at the CCU has been successfully concluded as part of the preparations for the march. The AMECA, vivecondrogas.com, Organi-K, Banda Rasta, La Pirámide, among others, have already launched the call for the next march on May 7 at 3:00 PM in front of the Palacio de Bellas Artes with the aim of making this an informative and festive march, bringing music, colors, costumes, and a desire to sing. A peaceful march is planned that seeks not to break the law but to change it; the slogans are: “Out with the Narco-State from our bodies. The consumption of marijuana is a matter of personal responsibility and public health, not criminality. Confusing the consumer with the trafficker is a criminal act of the State and its laws. Respecting the smoke of others is peace. We demand the possibility of researching and applying the properties of hemp. We ask for information, not repression. Consuming is not delinquent. NO TO THE WAR AGAINST DRUG USERS! NO TO REPRESSIVE PROHIBITION: YES TO HARM REDUCTION POLICIES!
If you want more information on the topic, you can consult the following books:
- Klein, Daniel. DK. (1974) Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Marijuana. V siglos. Mexico.
- Fabrego Enrique Arturo and Suárez. Cannabis Sativa, biography of the drug.
- Grinspoon, Lester. Bakalar, James B. (1997) Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine. Paidos. Barcelona.
- Iversen, Leslie L. (2001) Marijuana, current scientific knowledge. Ariel. Barcelona.
- Hofmann, Albert. Schultes, Richard Evans. (1987) Plants of the Gods: Origins of Hallucinogenic Uses. Vanderbilt University.
Comments
- tittadigirolamo: I also have a blog related to Nirvana seeds, not as beautiful as yours, but I love Nirvana seeds just the same.
Original Publication:
- Valverde, Janet. (May 5, 2005) Million Marijuana March. Lengua Lengua, electronic bulletin and blog on contemporary art of ArT&+.
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