Protesters "plant" marijuana in support of decriminalization.
On World Cannabis Day, 420 replicas of the marijuana leaf were placed on a strip of sand this Friday on Copacabana beach, in the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro; activists are calling for swift action in the Supreme Court's vote on Article 28 of the Drug Law.
247 - Cannabis sativa. This is the name of the plant that led to a peaceful demonstration on the sands of Copacabana beach, in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro, demanding a decision from the Supreme Federal Court (STF) on the decriminalization of marijuana use, this Friday morning. April 20th is World Marijuana Day. To commemorate the date, members of the Rádio Legalize movement placed 420 replicas of the plant leaf on the beach sand, in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel.
The pro-marijuana demonstration is calling for swift action by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) on the constitutionality of Article 28 of the Drug Law. This legal provision criminalizes the act of consuming the drug. The representation on the beach between lifeguard posts 2 and 3 signifies the arrest of people who have consumed marijuana. In Brazil, in general, arrested users are punished by the courts with sentences that restrict rights and do not mandate imprisonment in semi-open or closed regimes. The Drug Law, as it is being called, does not quantitatively differentiate between users and traffickers; this is the main argument of the demonstrators in favor of marijuana legalization.
The group that organized the protest in Copacabana is known for organizing the "Marijuana March" in Rio de Janeiro. In 2011, the event gathered around five thousand people in Ipanema, in the southern part of the city. In the same month, in São Paulo, the courts prohibited the demonstration.
Last year they judged the constitutionality of the Marijuana March. Decriminalization is still a long way off, but it's a daily struggle. Getting it on the Supreme Court's agenda is already of great importance as a step towards decriminalizing marijuana users," journalist Raony Mouchoque, from the Rádio Legalize movement, told Jornal do Brasil.
In addition to distributing informational leaflets, the group invites people to the Marijuana March taking place in Rio on May 5th, at Arpoador, in the southern part of the city. The event will be held on Icaraí beach in Niterói the following weekend, on the 12th.