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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