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Cannabis in Chile is illegal for all production and public consumption, though private at-home consumption, grow and selling is allowed for medical use. [1] It is widely consumed, with the highest per-capita use in Latin America. [2] In 2014 Chile began clinical trials on medical marijuana, and in 2015 a decriminalization bill successfully passed the lower house of the Chilean Congress.
Cannabis has a long history in Chile, possibly the longest in the New World, as hemp production for fiber was introduced in the Quillota Valley as early as 1545, [3] to support the army and shipping. [4] Similar attempts were made in Peru, Colombia, and Mexico, but only in Chile did the crop find success. [5]
In the 1940s, cannabis was used by American sailors in the brothels of the port towns of Antofagasta and Tocopilla. [6] The expanding use of cannabis in Chile in the 1960-1970s was associated with its popularization by foreign sailors, and later by hippies arrived in Chile from the United States or other Latin American nations. [7] By the early 1970s, a Ministry of Education report stated that 60% of Chilean high school students had tried cannabis. [8]
According to the Dictionary of Chilean Slang, terms used for cannabis in Chile include: marihuana, papelillo, volarse, cogoyo, paraguayo, mota, macoña and yerba. [9]
According to a study by the University of London and the Universidad Andrés Bello, [10] 40% of Chileans have used cannabis and 48.2% of Chileans support its legalization, the highest rates in the 9 South American countries included in the study. Only 6.2% believe there are serious risks associated with its use, which is less than any of the other countries included in the study.
Chile also has an earlier than average age of first cannabis usage, at age 12 compared to the global average of 14–15. [11]
While Chile has some local production, a large amount of its cannabis is imported from neighbors, particularly Paraguay and Peru. [12]
The current overarching drug law of Chile is the 2005 Ley de drogas . Further, in 2008 Chile toughened its cannabis trafficking laws, with punishments equivalent to those for cocaine and heroin, in reaction to the increasing consumption and presence of imported Paraguayan cannabis. [13] In 2012, Socialist Party senator Fulvio Rossi publicly admitted that he used cannabis, leading to some public outcry, while Rossi took the occasion to propose major changes to Chile's cannabis laws and policies. [14] [2]
Cannabis became an issue in the 2021 Chilean presidential election cycle, with multiple presidential candidates endorsing legalization. Daniel Jadue [15] [16] of the Communist Party and Paula Narváez [17] of the Socialist Party, the presidential nominees of their respective parties, have both endorsed legalization.
In 2014, cultivators with government permission began planting cannabis in Chile, including a location in Santiago to produce oil for cancer patients. [18]
A Chilean organization holds annual protests each April 20, since 2005 in support legalization of cannabis. [2]
In 2015, a bill allowing Chileans to grow up to six plants per home for "medical, recreational or spiritual reasons" passed the lower house of Congress, 68–39, and next goes to the Chilean Senate for vote.
It is widely used, considered now almost as part of Chilean culture. It is quite common to see people smoking or rolling in the streets and parks, and growshops everywhere. [19]
The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These policies in most countries are regulated by three United Nations treaties: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Since its descheduling in 2020, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Single Convention treaty, meaning that signatories can allow medical use but that it is considered to be an addictive drug with a serious risk of abuse.
Cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various traditional medicines for centuries. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component of cannabis, which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.
Yasna Provoste Campillay is a Chilean teacher and Christian Democrat politician of Diaguita descent, who served as minister during the presidencies of Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet. Since 11 March 2018, she has been a senator for the Atacama Region, for the period 2018-2026.
Adult lifetime cannabis use by country is the lifetime prevalence of cannabis use among all adults in surveys among the general population. Lifetime prevalence means any use of cannabis during a person's life.
Marijuana, or marihuana, is a name for the cannabis plant and more specifically a drug preparation from it. "Marijuana" as a term varies in usage, definition and legal application around the world. Some jurisdictions define "marijuana" as the whole cannabis plant or any part of it, while others refer to "marijuana" as a portion of the cannabis plant that contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some jurisdictions recognize "marijuana" as a distinctive strain of cannabis, the other being hemp. For legal, research and statistical reference, "marijuana" generally refers to only the dried leaves and flowering tops, with by-products such as hashish or hash oil being uniquely defined and regulated. The form "marihuana" is first attested in Mexican Spanish; it then spread to other varieties of Spanish and to English, French, and other languages.
In the early 21st century, advocacy for drug legalization has increased in Latin America. Spearheading the movement, the Uruguayan government announced in 2012 plans to legalize state-controlled sales of marijuana in order to fight drug-related crimes.
Cannabis is legal in Uruguay, and is one of the most widely used drugs in the nation.
Cannabis in Paraguay is illegal, but the nation is one of the world's largest producers of cannabis; possession of 10 grams or less was decriminalized in 1988. It is the second-largest cannabis producer in Latin America, following Mexico. Paraguay is the main source of cannabis for Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, and produced 5900 metric tons per year per a 2008 report.
Cannabis in Puerto Rico is illegal for recreational use. Legislation to ban cannabis was passed in 1932, and legislation to legalize medical use was passed in 2017. Although the medical use of cannabis is permitted, smoking it is prohibited.
Cannabis and hemp in Spain have a long and rich history. The plant has grown feral on the Iberian peninsula since prehistory and has been intensely cultivated, in particular for its fibres, throughout Spanish and Portuguese history.
Cannabis in Ecuador is illegal for personal recreational consumption as of November 24, 2023. Previously amounts up to 10 grams were allowed, however President Noboa repealed the act allowing possession as part of a campaign promise designed to reduce “micro trafficking”.
Cannabis in Peru is not legal for recreational use, possession for own consumption is also decriminalized by the Criminal Code and medical cannabis was legalized in 2017.
The list includes and details significant events that occurred in the global history of national-level implementations of, or changes made to, laws surrounding the use, sale, or production of the psychoactive drug cannabis.
Cannabis in Guatemala, as of 2016, is illegal. Otto Pérez, when he was president of the country, tried to lead a legalization drive, and several congressmen attempted to pass a law for legalization, but those efforts failed. A poll conducted in 2012 said that 41% of Guatemalans might support decriminalization.
Cannabis in Bolivia is illegal, but cultivated illicitly, mostly for domestic consumption. Bolivian law treats cannabis equally to cocaine, with possession of one gram punishable by 10–25 years in prison.
General elections were held in Chile on 21 November 2021, including presidential, parliamentary and regional elections. Voters went to the polls to elect the President of the Republic to serve a four-year term, 27 of 50 members of the Senate to serve an eight-year term in the National Congress, all 155 members of the Chamber of Deputies to serve a four-year term in the National Congress, and all 302 members of the regional boards to serve a three-year term. Following an electoral reform in 2015, the Senate increased its membership from 38 to 43 in 2017 and grew to its full size of 50 seats after this election.
Óscar Daniel Jadue Jadue is a Chilean architect, sociologist and Marxist politician. A member of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), Jadue has served as Mayor of Recoleta since 2012.
Carlos Domingo Maldonado Curti is a Chilean politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Radical Party and is currently linked to Freemasonry.
Marihuana prensada or cannabis prensado, also known as ladrillo or, colloquially, paragua or paraguayo is a compressed cannabis cut into blocks that facilitate transport.
The Party of the People is a Chilean political party, characterized as a centre-right to right-wing and populist. It was created at the end of 2019, being legalized by the Electoral Service on July 26, 2021. It is led by 2013 and 2021 presidential candidate Franco Parisi, and by the founder of "Felices y Forrados" Gino Lorenzini.
