World Cannabis March 2016, part. 1: review

Saturday saw the first part of the 15th World Cannabis Walk. Newsweed brings you a round-up of actions taken on May 7 in over 72 countries.

European review

In Marseilles, the demonstration drew around fifty people to the old port, with the Front de Gauche playing a slightly more political role. Demonstrations also took place peacefully in Poitiers, Strasbourg and Lyon, with around a hundred people in each procession.

In Madrid, the march gathered over 1,000 people, massed behind a yellow bus at the head of the procession.

In Germany, 200 people gathered in Berlin, while a thousand marched through the streets of Frankfurt. Our German neighbors, who are quietly going their own way, should legalize cannabis for medicinal use in early 2017.

Europe's biggest procession took place in Prague. More than 5000 Czechs paraded through the streets of the capital. Demonstrators in the Czech Republic, which is at the forefront of the fight against cannabis prohibition, are calling for a relaxation of the conditions governing access to medical cannabis and a liberalization of recreational use.

International

In Toronto, the Russia Today website counted nearly 20,000 demonstrators. Next year's demonstration is likely to be all the more festive as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the start of the legalization of cannabis in Canada in spring 2017.

In Colombia, a country ravaged by the war on drugs, the World Cannabis March brought together almost 10,000 people in Medellín. Considered the city with the highest density of smokers, the country's second-largest city lived up to its reputation. Demonstrators took care to bring their own consumption to celebrate and share their mega joints.

Fruity spliff in Medellin, Colombia

In Brazil, over a thousand people marched along the southern beaches of Rio de Janeiro. According to a politician who joined the demonstration, «prison overcrowding due to repression is a real problem in Brazil». Like Colombia, the country seems to be plagued by drug trafficking and corruption.

In South Africa, it is estimated that between 3,000 and 10,000 people marched in the Cape Town streets to call for the recreational and therapeutic legalization of cannabis. The pro-legalization camp advocates access to cannabis-based therapies for AIDS sufferers (around 20% of the population). Cannabis-based treatments reduce pain and restore appetite. Opponents, however, fear a rise in crime, as well as an increase in the use of other drugs.

In Mauritius, the rally was disrupted by a number of clashes between demonstrators and police force.

The prize for biggest event goes to the Argentinians, with 150,000 participants in the streets of Buenos Aires. Demonstrators held up signs reading «La Salud es un derecho» («Health is a right») behind epileptic children in wheelchairs. Argentine cannabis users call for medical and recreational legalization like their Uruguayan neighbors.

In the meantime, Paris and Vienne will have their own march on Saturday, May 14, while our Belgian friends will have to until May 28.

Théo Caillart