Philosopher Seeds in South America

Last autumn, a group of members from Philosopher Seeds travelled to South America to see first hand the current situation of cannabis in South America, which has recently brought really good news.

To do this, we decided to travel to three countries where, for one reason or another, cannabis is gaining more and more importance.

How is the cannabis situation in Uruguay?

Our first destination was, as one would expect, Uruguay, the mecca of cannabis growers, the only place in the world where a law regulating cannabis has been introduced, taking into account the opinion of activists and growers.

The circumstances in Uruguay are very special: its small population, the decriminalisation of cannabis since the 1970's and a great president made it ideal for experimenting with legislation. The aim was to regulate cannabis abandoning the idea of a free market for marijuana, as is happening in some US states or in Holland; instead of this, the Uruguayan government created a law the purpose of which was and still is, above all, to finish with the black market, or in other words, to get rid of the different criminal organisations that take profit from ganja.

During the time we were in Montevideo, Colonia and La Florida, we were lucky enough to meet many friends and cannabis activists who kept us abreast of the current situation in which this regulatory process is. We chatted with Felipe, a university professor and good friend, who told us about the general political situation in the country, which happened to be in the middle of an election process.

We shared many moments and yummy weed with friends in Fray Bentos, a beautiful town near the western border with Argentina. The cannabis community is on the rise there, expanding between the province and the capital. They advised us to contact Julio Rey, a great activist based in an inland region, La Florida. As you would expect, we didn’t miss the chance!

Julio Rey is an activist from Movida Cannábica Florida (Florida Cannabis Movement). The interview with him was one of the best moments of the trip. He told us his view on the current process of regularization of marijuana in Uruguay from the beginning, back in 2007, when some young politicians and civil organizations such as Laplacita and the Plantatuplanta group managed to gather a large number of people for a weed-smoking session in Molino de Perez.

Step by step, the number of associations and groups of various kinds increased until 2010, when different pro-cannabis groups were summoned to the office of the MP's Sebastián Sabini and Nicolás Núñez, both representing Frente Amplio. The introduction of a bill that allows consumption and smoking clubs with a maximum of 8 plants per person with no weight limit was considered. The debate joined forces, although some groups in Uruguay did not approve it.

Everything changed when suddenly the then president José Mujíca announced the regulation of cannabis in the context of a series of strategic measures towards living and coexisting. Today, Julio, among other activities, travels around the country to give a series of conferences and workshops on cannabis growing, and ultimately, to promote the cannabis culture.

As he told us, the claims from social movements have led, in recent years and in later stages, to the enforcement of three liberal laws by the Government: equal rights in marriage, abortion and the regulation of marijuana.

Today, many details regarding the law are still to be defined, but activists are sure that the hardest has passed, as they were successful in achieving a change in the cannabis law in all its forms. The civil movements are confident that, together with the Government, they can change all the necessary aspects to modify the law and achieve a situation that meets the demands of all the parties involved, which are many.

With the current law, all cannabis crops must be previously authorised by the Institute for the Regulation of Cannabis (IRRCA), the agency appointed by the Government for these purposes.

For now, the possibilities offered by the Government regarding marijuana are three and they exclude each other: growing it, membership in smoking clubs or purchasing it in dispensaries. 

The new law allows people to grow a maximum of 6 plants and 480 grams per year and household. People who are not interested in growing their own weed can join a club (we were very surprised about the high fee requested for becoming member of some clubs located in the capital).

Once they have been approved by the Government under the supervision of IRRCA, Smoking clubs -which must have between 15 and 45 members - can grow and harvest up to 99 plants with a maximum yield that is “proportional to the number of members”.

The third and last option for getting cannabis is to sign up for a permit that allows you to buy weed, with a maximum of 40 grams per month in pharmacies licensed to sell it.

During the time we spent in Uruguay, we were able to see that, beyond what is established by the law and the Government decisions, the regulation of cannabis is a topic that is often discussed in the country, in concerts and festivals, in the halls of universities and in the streets.

We were able to participate, along with representatives of the cannabis world in Uruguay and some European friends, in the march "Uruguay cosecha” (Uruguay harvests) held to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the enforcement of the cannabis regulation law, which was organised by the National Committee for the Regulation of Marijuana, El Abrojo, National Federation of Cannabis Growers in Uruguay, FESUR, Gurises MPP, ICEERS, IELSUR, IR, JSU, Red de Usuarios (Users Network), Movida Cannábica Florida, Ovejas Negras, Pro Derechos, SERPAJ, UJC.

Our adventure in Uruguay ended in a very special way: we were involved in Expocannabis Uruguay , the first cannabis fair organised in the country where we shared our stand with our Chilean friends from Semillas de Pájaro, as well as having fun with them during those intense days.

The purpose of the show, organised by a new event company from Uruguay, was to establish a link between the cannabis sector (business, medical and associations) and cannabis users. For this reason, it was declared an event of public interest.

The fair programme was very dense and included lectures, workshops and a lot of fun activities, which, along with the summery weather, turned the show into an amazing event with high participation, with people from Uruguay as well as visitors from neighbouring countries like Argentina and Brazil.

The show was a great opportunity to meet and reunite with friends from the cannabis business world in Uruguay, such as Zac from Tierra inteligente, our friends from Juana Grow, Verde Esperanza, La Cooperativa de Arte y Cultivo, Merlín Grow, Urugrow, Hydropoint, Media Grow, Planeta Ganja, Yuyo Brothers, Growin, la Costa Grow, and Argentinians such as Cultivo para todos, Natural Mind and Namasté nutrientes.

Some groups of activists whose work in Uruguay is beyond commendable, such as the Pro Derechos (Pro rights) Association did not miss the event. From the beginning, this association has promoted and supported the process of regulation and the network of users; on a voluntary basis, the association deals with caring for people with addiction problems (especially cocaine), teaching them on a responsible use of drugs while using cannabis to counteract the anxiety caused by withdrawal symptoms.

Needless to say, in addition to great chivitos, roasts and mate, our Uruguayan friends gave us good outdoor weed as a present, which made our stay even nicer.

How is the cannabis situation in Argentina?

Our next stop was Buenos Aires.  From Colonia, we crossed over the La Plata River on a ferry and disembarked in Buenos Aires, where our friend Nacho from Basta de Lobbys, was waiting for us to treat us with a great roast and amazing Argentinian weed.

Argentina is a country with a very strong cannabis culture; the evidence of this is the quantity and quality of Cannabis Cups that have been held there for the last ten years.

We were lucky to attend the CCCC Cup, an event in which no detail is left to chance: it included a swimming pool, outdoor games, music, lots of food, beautiful tables with fruit and cake, as well as special food for vegetarians.

We spent the day with many friends who came from various parts of the country and with Sol, who was awarded with our Naranchup and shared her joy with us. This was the second prize won by this great grower using our strains, as she won the first prize at Río de la Plata Cup in September.

In November we went to the Cup organised by the group of growers called Cultivadores de Zyon: another wonderful event where, once again, we were able to see and enjoy the work of the best Argentine growers as well as meeting our friends from the AACA (Association of Argentine Cannabis Growers).

Many thanks to the organisers of these events for their hospitality and kindness; we definitely felt at home.

Also in Buenos Aires we were very lucky to give a talk about our genetics, organised by Basta de Lobby, where we talked about our work among friends and growers as well as cannabis traders. 

The location was ideal for this kind of event: a bar/grow shop run by our friend Toto, editor of the popular Argentinian cannabis magazine Haze.

The time spent with our friends Sol, Omi from China Orgánica, Sebas, Nacho, MariJane from the wholesaler Buenos Muchachos, Martín, Tatiana, Krasty, Pablo... was unforgetable, with really wonderful moments that we will cherish forever.

What is the cannabis situation in Chile?

The next country we visited was Chile, where Grow Shops have run quite normally for over the last three years and where cannabis culture is becoming prominent. Our main interest was to visit the Cannabis Expoweed show, which was held just at that moment. It was a very pleasant surprise to see first hand the economic strength of the Chilean cannabis sector. We found many of the best European seed banks , and we are very happy that Chilean growers will also be able to buy Philosopher Seeds strains thanks to our friends from Imperio Seeds and Semillas de Pájaro.

The show was held at O'Higgins Park, in a tent enabled for the occasion. The top brands of the sector in Europe were present, specially seed banks.

The number of visitors was very high; it is estimated that more than 25,000 people attended and the truth is that it was a pleasure to walk around while enjoying the Chilean growers dedication.

We would also like to mention the VIP lounge in the show, where we were able to have a lively conversation with our friends from Cáñamo Chile, the cannabis activists arrived from North America, Steve De Angelo, Urban Grower, Rick Simpson, etc.
Also in Santiago de Chile, we were lucky to be welcomed by our friends from Soma Grow Shop, that became our office during those days.

Still at Expoweed, we attended the conference held by our colleague David from Philosopher Seeds with William from GHE, who presented the book that they have co-authored Cultivo Hidropónico de Marihuana (Hydroponic Marijuana Growing).

Thanks to our friends from Cáñamo and Semillas de Pájaro, we were asked to be part of the panel of judges in one of the NeuroCopa Pacific categories, which was a great honour for the whole team and allowed us to realize that, although it is rare, Chile has also beautiful weed.

In short, this was an unforgettable trip that we've tried to explain for sharing with you those fantastic moments. Many thanks and big ups to our colleagues across the ocean who are working so hard to normalize our job and have shown so much respect and admiration for our work.

 URUGUAY GOVERNMENT SITE: CANNABIS REGULATION ACT, VERSION 2014