Geography and cannabis

territorial disputes in Brazil

Abstract

Over thousands of years ago Cannabis have been used by humans. Currently prohibited in countries like Brazil, the legal cultivation and trade of cannabis use to be exclusively made for medicinal purposes, while the recreational use constitutes a demand for marijuana that is sustained by illegal production. Legal access to cannabis results from the interests of different groups projected in the dispute for the control of national territories. Although these intentions also come from the influence of foreign countries, territorial disputes have unique settings in every country. In the case of Brazil, not even an  effort  has  been  made in  order to  identify  the  possible  territories  configured  in such disputes. After reviewing aspects of cannabis regarding to the territorial processes that result from its legal status, concepts are proposed in order to understand how the different territories that dispute cannabis in Brazil are configured. Four territories have been identified and conceptualized. This is a study that is just beginning, there is still much to investigate about the geographies of cannabis, and their subfields, such as the territorialities involved. It is hoped that this discussion stimulate further research.