Marijuana, health, leisure and criminalization:

observations on a case of medical marijuana use on the outskirts of Belém-Pará

Abstract

The article brings the results of observations on the case of Mariana, a young black woman living on the outskirts of Belém, who during a complicated pregnancy decided to use a marijuana-based medicine to relieve pain. The report presents the difficulties faced in accessing the health system, both due to spatial isolation and not feeling safe and welcomed in the maternity wards available in the city's health network. Adding to this, Mariana also uses marijuana recreationally, which brings the element of criminalization to this already violent process. The result is an overlap of violence, where institutional racism, obstetric violence and spatial segregation end up defining the paths that Mariana follows in search of assistance and care for her pregnancy. The possible conclusion is that reports like that of this young woman can contribute to thinking about ways to address issues involving the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, mainly bringing issues such as race, class and territoriality into the debate in the management of health and public safety policies.