- Thousands of people in the cities Bogota and Medellin took to the streets
- Many were seen smoking marijuana from apples, pineapples and melons
- Colombia has relaxed drug laws compared to other countries taking part
By
Jessica Ware
Protesters
in Colombia were inventive with their smoking on Saturday, filling
fruits with cannbis roll-ups as part of the Global Marijuana March.
Marijuana-lovers
took to the streets in Bogota and Medellin in the South American
country, where their impressive efforts were put on display.
Some
smoked the drug through fruit like apples, others crafted bongs from
larger tropical fruits such as watermelons and pineapples.
+10
Attendees at Colombia's Global
Marijuana Marches in Bogota and Medellin put lots of effort into they
cannabis smoking at the event
+10
Saturday's march saw protestors take a
stand over the legalisation of marijuana by smoking the drug out of
intricate fruit devices
+10
Others, like this man in Medellin, took turns on giant joints which they made for the event
The march, which took place in more than 100 cities across the world on Saturday, was to call for a relaxation of drugs laws.
Proponents believe that the use of marijuana should be allowed for both medical and recreational use.
Thousands of people turned out to both marches, with many wearing cannabis-leaf themed clothing.
Others
committed to the cause by shaving marijuana imagery into their hair,
while some smoked three-foot long hand-rolled spliffs made especially
for the marches.
+10
Colombians are allowed to grow marijuana, but this is limited to a maximum of 20 plants at once
Colombia has much more lenient cannabis laws than other countries where marches were happening.
There
is no limit on how much a person can be of possession of if it is for
medicinal or scientific purposes and licensed by the country's National
Anti-Narcotics Council.
A person can be in possession of up to 22 grams for personal use without facing persecution.
Selling and transporting the plant-based drugs, however, is only legal for scientific and medical purposes.
Colombians are allowed to grow marijuana, but this is limited to a maximum of 20 plants at once.
+10
This man, who chose a marijuana leaf-print hat for the day, made a smoking device out of a watermelon and two apples
+10
Some protesters went the extra mile for the cause, this woman shaved a cannabis leaf into the side of her head
+10
Over 100 separate protests took place
on Saturday. Pictured is a woman in a flower crown lighting a roll-up in
the Rio de Janeiro event
Protesters hit the street not just in Colombia but all over the world in the annual event.
In South Africa, thousands took to the streets of Cape Town on Saturday demanding a relaxation of drugs laws.
Possessing any marijuana is illegal in South Africa and punishable by prosecution - it is, however, widely available.
Around
3,000 protesters took part in the march, some smoking cannabis and
others carrying placards or cannabis plants growing in portable
containers.
+10
Possession of marijuana is legal up to
22 grams in Colombia, and in both cities demonstrators were smoking the
drug on the streets
+10
This watermelon probably won't be being served as desert, after Medellin protesters turned it into a makeshift bong
+10
A man can be seen defiantly holding up a giant marijuana roll-up at the Medellin rally
'We were marching for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis in South Africa,' lead organiser Johannes Berkhout said.
'There
is more than enough evidence around the world about the medicinal
benefits of cannabis,' he said, adding that legalisation would create a
'safer and much more controllable' use of the drug.
Use
of cannabis and medicinal marijuana is gaining popularity in some parts
of the world to ease suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, and
other serious conditions.
But opponents fear crime connected to drug abuse and users graduating to harder drugs.
A
South African opposition lawmaker Mario Oriani-Ambrosini in 2014
submitted draft legislation calling for the legalisation of marijuana
but died soon after.
No comments:
Post a Comment