Marijuana March in Rio defends freedom for marijuana growers.

This year's Marijuana March in Rio de Janeiro had two themes: the fight for the freedom of all marijuana growers who are imprisoned, and solidarity with the victims of the war on drugs. Lawyer André Barros, author of the representation before the Supreme Federal Court (STF) that reclassified the march as not promoting marijuana use, said that in Rio de Janeiro, currently, there are 20 people imprisoned for producing the plant.

For him, the arrest is "a farce" because often the collected material includes the entire plant and even the soil where it is being cultivated. "They put it on a scale and say there are 2 kilos. But the prohibited substance, THC, only exists in the flower of the female plant, so they can't weigh the whole plant. The judges are judging without knowledge of the material evidence of the crime," he explained.

Lawyer Margarete Brito, mother of 6-year-old Sofia, was at the front of the march, pushing the stroller in which she carried her daughter, who has refractory epilepsy. Like her, other mothers carried their children, defending the medicinal use of marijuana. “There has been progress: my daughter’s electroencephalogram is completely different before and after treatment with marijuana. She has improved a lot, she’s become more alert, more attentive, and smiles more,” she said.

According to Margarete, treatment in the public healthcare system usually takes a year between the judge's ruling and the state's authorization to use the substance. The lawyer highlighted, however, that the treatment, despite being approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), is very expensive because the medication needs to be imported. According to her, the cost ranges from R$1,5 to R$5.

"This year, we are fighting for the production in Brazil of cannabis extract, which we currently buy at absurdly high prices. So, our fight this year is for the regulation of cultivation in Brazil," he said.

According to Major Dias, who commanded the Military Police (PM) operation at the scene, the gathering for the 12th edition of the Rio de Janeiro Marijuana March brought together approximately 150 people near Jardim de Alah, on the beachfront road bordering Leblon and Ipanema beaches. When the demonstrators began their march, the major estimated that there were already 350 people. Organizers calculated that at that moment, there were about a thousand participants.

The Marijuana March in Rio de Janeiro began in 2002 and has already been the target of the Rio de Janeiro judiciary, which classified the demonstration as an act of advocating drug use. In 2011, the Supreme Federal Court (STF) decided to overturn the prohibition of the Marijuana March as an act of advocating drug use, considering that the acts fall under freedom of expression and assembly. "No one can interpret the Marijuana March as a movement advocating crime anymore," said lawyer André Barros.