Global Marijuana March takes place tomorrow in Lisbon

Tomorrow, May 5th, the 12th edition of the Global Marijuana March (MGM) takes place, which since 1999 has been present in more than 300 cities around the world. In Lisbon, the Global Marijuana March has been taking place since 2006.

The Marijuana Global March (adapted from English, Marijuana Global March), is an international initiative that consists of popular gatherings in various cities across the globe, in defense of the legalization of cannabis. MGM was born in New York in 1999, as a result of mergers that were taking place between groups of supporters of cannabis legalization. Since then, the concentrations have been held on the first Saturday of the month of May, being a ex libris of the cannabis culture that occurs all over the world.

This event arrived in Portuguese territory after the turn of the century, in 2006, with Portugal being represented by Lisbon at MGM. The following year, the city of Porto joined the event, thus increasing Portuguese representation in the March.

The movement gained traction in the following years, with the accession of Coimbra in 2008, and Braga to join the event in 2009.

MGM Lisbon in 2018
This year, the MGM will be held on the 5th of May and in Lisbon the preparations for the event have already begun. An organized Benefit dinner by the organizing committee and the Nights of the Leaf. The organizers also called for a popular gathering on Friday, April 27, “to question prohibitionism, think of ways to resist and, above all, build tools to subvert or overcome it”.

Global Marijuana March poster, 2018

No Manifesto of the Organizing Committee of the Global March of Marijuana in Lisbon, arguments are raised regarding the ambiguous situation of cannabis use “in a country where it can be consumed but cannot be obtained (…) and where any consumer is 'obliged' to contact and move around in the illicit market”. The Commission advocates that, in order to control the quality and circulation of the substance, as well as to reduce the risks and harm associated with consumption, cannabis can be legally produced and acquired in Portugal.

This year, however, it seems that the Porto MGM will not take place. In digital media it is possible to find references and pages linked to the Porto Marijuana Global March, as well as the respective website. However, Cannapress contacted the owners of the website and confirmed the information that the Marcha Global do Porto will not be formally organized, as has happened in previous years.
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Featured Photo: MGM 2017, “EPHEMERA” — Library and Archive by José Pacheco Pereira