Cannabis networks and their medicinal uses of marijuana: associativism as part of the therapeutic process

associativismo como parte do processo terapêutico

Abstract

This article aims to build an overview of how social actors are mobilized around access to marijuana for medicinal purposes in Brazil, especially about collective actions promoted between 2014 and 2019 through cannabis associations. From ethnographic research carried out with Brazilian cannabis associations, and through the analysis of documents and public hearings, it was understood that activism around the topic has resulted in greater access to such treatment, through civil disobedience and the judicialization of health. As the knowledge needed to carry out cannabis treatment has not been produced by medical institutions or research institutes, to access them it is necessary to engage in cannabis collectives or associations. In this sense, engagement promotes greater access to health since such movements have resulted in possibilities for such treatment. In addition, the credibility and legitimacy achieved by cannabis associations have the potential to expand the democratization of the debate on the topic of cannabis, as they increase social participation in decision-making processes, and demand democratic means of access.