By Jon Hiltz
Last weekend, activists and cannabis lovers took to the streets in dozens of countries around the world to voice their outrage that pot is still prohibited in many places. Overall, during these marches, law enforcement agrees to not arrest the protesters despite the fact that many are breaking the law by using cannabis in public.
Police interference was, unfortunately, a problem in Lima Peru, however. It was there that citizens marched for their freedoms, only to be harassed and arrested.
Using tear gas and brandishing shotguns, the cops in Lima overtook a peaceful marijuana parade, despite the fact that Peru’s federal government is days away from debating medical cannabis legalization for the country.
Marijuana.com caught up with Jessica, who asked us to refrain from publishing her last name. Jessica is the founder of Mama Cultiva Peru, an advocacy group dedicated to legalizing cannabis as medicine for children who need it. She was marching in the parade and witnessed the unfortunate and violent police interference as it happened.
“[The police] tried to break up the march 3 times while we were walking,” said Jessica. She added that marchers were being incredibly respectful by not being too loud and leading their protest on walkways for pedestrians as opposed to blocking traffic.
Jessica added that Peru has a Marijuana March every year and marchers have never had a problem with police until now. She, nor her fellow activists, have any idea why this year was different.
Peruvians are also scratching their heads as to why this happened, considering the current discussions in government about legalizing medical cannabis. “May 17 is when the Health Commission starts their discussions [on legalization],” Jessica said.
When Jessica and her fellow marchers from Mama Cultiva saw what was happening, they ran. They were marching with children and people in wheelchairs, who were all witness to police using teargas.
In the end, police only made three arrests, all for “resistance of authority,” said Jessica. Marijuana.com reached out to the Lima police force and received no response.
