Distant worlds, elections, and the country of eternal regression

By Lorenzo Rolim

A long time ago, when I started writing about Cannabis in the online universe, I was quite attached to good news, always seeking the most recent and uplifting events. I aimed to bring to readers who were thirsty for some glimmer of hope that Cannabis would have a bright future. And for a long time, I was successful in this endeavor; I lived through the entire BOOM that the cannabis market experienced since its inception, with Canada taking the lead, going through the entire bubble of financial speculation, and more recently with a more mature and solid market and regulatory processes in countries much smarter than those early ones.

However, if you, dear reader, look for my latest columns here on the SECHAT Portal, you will see that my tone of voice is usually one of pessimism or at least combative, fighting against the harsh reality that our country seems like a car stuck in the mud, spinning its wheels, revving the engine, covering everyone in mud, but unable to move forward.

I was mulling over what to write in this column; since my last contribution to the portal, I have gone through some interesting experiences, many of which made me want to write and bring something here. The thing is, the election atmosphere seemed to completely occupy my attention when I sat down to write, and I ended up pushing this unpleasant topic as far away as possible.

Brave New World

During this period, I visited New York after legalization and experienced a completely different city with colors (and smells) that reminded me a lot of the time I lived in California. Cannabis has become as common to New Yorkers as Starbucks stores, present on every corner and fully integrated into the daily lives of local citizens. 

The first thing that came to my mind, as a resident of Greater São Paulo, was how it would be if we had experienced this civilizing process there as well; after all, both metropolises have their similarities and at the same time are completely different, and this is very true for the relationship of the population with Cannabis. I believe that in terms of consumers, it is quite possible that São Paulo has more daily Cannabis users than NY, meaning that in a legalized city, it would be common to see people smoking on the street, in parks, and in airport smoking areas, as I saw every day I was in NY, all with great respect, without any hysteria, and with an air of normality that makes it seem like living in Brazil, we live in a world very distant from that, almost like a trip to another dimension. The basic difference is that smoking on the street here can lead to a police 'stop' at any moment and severely impact your life, potentially meaning many years in prison. 

This maxim certainly does not apply to me, a white man living a block from Av. Faria Lima, but it is the daily reality for many people in the peripheries and other parts of the city.

As if this daily shock of reality (which for me was much more impactful than in any California city I have lived in) were not enough, a few weeks later, President Biden initiated a process of pardoning sentences related to the possession and consumption of Cannabis in the USA. This was something that had been long overdue, and once again it rubs in the face of Brazilians how we are still a backward and retrograde people, living in this parallel world of hypocrisy. How much human potential are we wasting today, unjustly imprisoned, doing a postgraduate degree in crime, suffering from a conviction for simply possessing a small amount of a plant that is legalized in much of the civilized world?

Almost in sync with Biden's request, we now see the Federal Council of Medicine of Brazil (CFM) accelerating in the opposite direction. They published a new regulation intending to restrict Brazilian doctors from prescribing the use of Cannabis and its derivatives only for very rare diseases and in specific situations, under the threat of persecution. And these doctors, it should be noted, deserve my recognition for being much more advanced than the general population regarding the benefits of Cannabis for health.

The Impact of Elections

On top of all this, we have an electoral period, perhaps the most traumatic and divisive we have had in recent years, with two candidates having more votes against their opponent than for themselves, both of whom have claimed to be against drug legalization to capture votes from the eternal category of citizens that seems to hold all the power in this country, the untouchable Conservatives.

I have always found it very ironic and paradoxical that the country of carnival and bohemia, with such diverse musical styles that describe in their songs nightlife, drunkenness, and the tragicomic situation of romantic relationships, this same country, when it comes to daylight, somehow transforms itself into a pillar of morality and defense of good customs. I suspect that if Tim Maia were alive today, he would be an evangelical pastor.

For these reasons, our current leftist candidate, Lula, now speaks of being personally opposed to abortion and does not even dare to comment on the legalization of Cannabis. For the same reason, our current president, Bolsonaro, has repeatedly stated that he is against any drug and even accuses the left of being in favor of the legalization of all of them. 

Oh how I wish you were right, my dear Bolsonaro. However, what we see today on the Brazilian left is a distancing, almost a rupture, with this very important issue.

What remains for us, at the end of this account/rant, is to continue fighting as we always have, armed with the only weapons we have, science and reason, and to continue in pursuit of our freedom and individual sovereignty in seeking the right to health and well-being. However, I admit, that sometimes this eternal struggle for some progress in what seems to be the country of eternal regression is exhausting.

The opinions expressed in this article are personal and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sechat.

About the author:

Lorenzo Rolim da Silva is an Agronomist and president of LAIHA (Latin American Industrial Hemp Association).