Thread by @MyHarmReduction

Tuned in to #PharmFest panel right now, "Decolonizing Drugs from the South."

First presenter: Thembisa Waetjen, : “Apartheid’s War on Cannabis.”

You can join us here: uwmadison.webex.com/uwmadison/j.ph…

Interesting parallels between marijuana prohibition and demonization in Apartheid SA and US - painting its use as something that would radicalize young white users ( who should support the military) and make their brains "spongey."

Marijuana policing increased dramatically after apartheid implementation and election of their party. It was clearly a prioritized domain of policing and social control. Despite crackdowns, people continued to use and engage with markets.

Here you can see the comments of Indigenous South Africans referencing their own cultural use of the plant being colonized and policed by white elites. Similar comments are being made today as many call to decolonize drug policy and allow access to marijuana.
#PharmFest

Now up- Athos Vieira, “Cocaine and the Night: The Social Life of a Drug in Rio de Janeiro during Brazil’s First Republic, 1885–1920.”

You can tune in to #PharmFest here: uwmadison.webex.com/uwmadison/j.ph…

You can see here cocaine advertisements at the turn of the 20th century that look quite similar to those here in the US around the same time. Similar ads for morphine and other drugs were prominent as well. #PharmFest

Increased reports emerged of more prevalent use, particularly in cases of suicide. Newspaper coverage began to make it appear to be dangerous. #PharmFest

Next up #PharmFest: María-Clara Torres, Stony Brook University: “The Twilight and Revival of Coca: Northern Cauca, Colombia, 1950s–1980s”

Tune in here: uwmadison.webex.com/uwmadison/j.ph…

The case of Cauca is distinct from other Amazonian regions where mestizos are associated with what many of us think of as the coca "agrarian frontier." This is partially due to the high % of Indigenous communities and their cohesion in Cauca compared to others #PharmFest

The Nasa (Cauca's Indigenous community) was galvanized and radicalized by oppressive land policies that violated their rates and did not entitle them to enough land rights. They took on agrarian forms on their own terms as a result. #PharmFest

Follow along with #PharmFest for the next few days and check out their excellent programming: aihp.org/new-social-his…