Drug production, consumption, and trafficing in Latin America: Marijuana and Coca

Marijuana is one of the most prevelent drugs in Latin America today, especially in Jamaica. It was brought to the island in the 1800's by East Indian indentured laborers who worked on English plantations. Ever since, Marijuana or "ganja" has become part of Jamaican culture for its social, economic, and health benifits. It has been estimated that at least 60% of the population consumes the drug, and many adults grow and sell it as a part time job. One reason for the mass production of Marijuana in Jamaica is that it grows very easy even in poor soil, and produces at least two anual harvests.
Jamaicans also rely on ganja for its medicinal properties. Many Shawmanists use the drug in medicinal teas brewed with the plants leaves or sticks. They also use the drug in topical preperations used to treat irritations, burns, or wounds. Yet another benificial product of the drug is its association with meditation and focus enhancing potential amon Jamaicans. But not everywhere is the drug respected as it is in Jamaica. In contrast with Jamaican consumption of the Drug, one study found that among working class Costa Ricans, use of the drug was almost stricly limited to smoking it recreationally.

Like Marijuana consumption in the Carribean, Coca production in the Andes is extremely high due to its relativity in Andean Culture. Coca leaves which can me used to make Cocaine are extreamly nutrient rich and have long been chewed as a dietary supplement for the people in the Andes. There are many health benifits associated with chewing the leaves of the coca plant, such as curing soroche ( altitude sickness) by increasing oxygen intake of the body. Adittionally illnesses like viento (strong wind currents), which is known to cause tuberculousis among andean people, can be treated by boiling or grounding these leaves.
The major problem with Coca use in the Andes is the violent drug trafficing that takes place in areas like Bolivia, Peru, and Columbia; the major producers of Coca and Cocaine. There is a lot of guerilla warefare taking place in these countries to protect their crops, which results in a high terror rate for citizens in urban areas where the drugs are produced. Many andean fight for their right to grow the drug because of its rich cultural incorperation, like the practice of chewing leaves during marriage, aggricultura,l and religous rituals.

In both the Andes and the Carribean, the use of these drugs has been outlawed, but production has continued. Aside from the obvious economic advantages of producing these crops of illegal drugs, production has likely remained high due to the traditional and medicinal traits associated with these drugs. THe United States has tried to squash production of both drugs in Latin America to little or no avail. This is likely because some Latin Americans view the United States' attempts as a new form of colonialism.

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Religion and Healing: Shamanism, Ritual Poetics, and Hallucinogenic Healing in Latin America:

Shamanism is a belief practiced in Latin America and the Caribbean that is defined as a religious system marked by the belief that specific persons- shamans- have the ability to directly communicate with the supernatural through a trance or possession experience. The Shaman’s body is the means for which the spirits use to transverse their powers into the human world. The Shaman must become in possession of the powers in order to assure success during the experience. During a trance the Shaman’s soul leaves the body and travels to the Spirit world, only to return once the shamanism is over. The possession of the Shaman by the spirits is visible by the Shaman’s erratic and uncontrollable behavior. Once the Shaman has allowed his/her body to be the medium for the spirits he/she is able to control the powers and channel them into the healing process.

The trance possession is usually performed in accordance with many mind and body altering substances, mainly: tobacco, hallucinogens, and alcohol. This is present in the Shamanism trance possessions performed by the Arawak speaking people of Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, known as the Wakueai. During their ceremonies, the Wakueai also participate in dancing, song singing, and chanting in order to help harness the powers of the spirits. This chanting is also sometimes called poetic chanting in which the chants are used for healing purposes that express ritual power.

Ritual power is defined as the ability to harness authority or legitimacy through ritual means. This idea is especially prominent among the Wakuenai people in Amazonian Venezuela. They believe that singing is the means of treatment for diseases of the genitalia, neurological systems, nightmares, and child behavioral problems. They use shorter chants to cure less severe issues such as headaches. These chanting beliefs used by the Wakuenai were only first introduced after the presence of deadly diseases brought over by the Europeans.

One hallucinogen that is particularly present in many healing rituals is Ayahuasca, a vine that is fermented into a thick beverage that has incredible hallucinogenic capabilities. Ayahuasca is consumed in large amoutns by the peoples of the lowland Amazonian areas Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The consumption of this hallucinogen in conjunction with Shamanism healing rituals is present among all social groups, but particularly present in the lowest social and economic groups. They use this drug to heal two categories of illness: God given illnesses and those illnesses that were a result of evil put forth by others. The Shamans treat theses illnesses with the use of the powerful Ayahuasca in a cleared section of the jungle with a small group of others inflicted with similar symptoms. At midnight the healer distributes the drug and the he/she is the final one to drink the hallucinogenic beverage. The remainder of the night is spent chanting and dancing in order to harness the powers of the spirits.

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