Cannabis in Brazil
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Cannabis in Brazil is illegal, but possession and cultivation of personal amounts was decriminalized in 2006.[1]
History
Cannabis was introduced to Brazil by the Portuguese colonists in the early 1800s. Their intent may have been to cultivate hemp fiber, but the slaves the Portuguese imported from Africa were familiar with cannabis and used it psychoactively, leading the Municipal Council of Rio de Janeiro in 1830 to prohibit bringing cannabis into the city, and punishing its use by any slave.[2]
Enforcement
Since 2006, possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal consumption entails a warning, community service and education on the effects of drug use. The same measures apply to the planting and/or preparation of small amounts of any illegal drug.[1]
Selling and transportation of any illegal drugs, as well as the possession or cultivation of larger amounts is characterized as drug trafficking, a criminal act punished with 5 to 15 years in prison and a significant fine.[3]
References
- ^ a b Professor Anita Kalunta-Crumpton (28 June 2015). Pan-African Issues in Drugs and Drug Control: An International Perspective. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 242–. ISBN 978-1-4724-2214-9.
- ^ Robert Clarke; Mark Merlin (1 September 2013). Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany. University of California Press. pp. 182–. ISBN 978-0-520-95457-1.
- ^ Law 11.343, planalto.gov.br
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