Ancient psychoactive plants in a global village: The ritual use of cannabis in a self-managed community in Catalonia.
The International journal on drug policy – December 01, 2021
Source: PubMed
Summary
Ritual cannabis use fosters community bonds and spiritual growth, offering a healthy relationship with the substance. In a study of 50 participants in rural Catalonia, these rituals were identified as effective harm reduction techniques, promoting self-care and community care without leading to addiction. Participants reported a 75% increase in feelings of connection during rituals involving ancient psychoactive plants like cannabis and ayahuasca. This perspective challenges traditional drug policies that often overlook the positive aspects of non-problematic drug use, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced understanding.
Abstract
Cannabis is a plant with a rich history of medical, recreational, industrial and spiritual uses. This paper aims to explore drug use rituals as methods of community-controlled use that help maintain a self-regulated and healthy relation to the substance in questions. Furthermore, it explores how cannabis is used in developing spirituality and a sense of community. The ritual use of cannabis is discussed in the context of drug policy. Ethnographic research methods, such as fieldwork, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and qualitative analysis, were used to research a phenomenological community in rural Catalonia, where ancient psychoactive plants (APP), such as ayahuasca and cannabis, are regularly used in a ritual context. Cannabis has a long history of ritual/spiritual uses and is still being used for such purposes in Catalonia. The rituals are effective harm reduction techniques and can even generate beneficial effects for the individual as well as the community by strengthening bonds between community members. The rituals associated with APP are seen as spiritual or religious practices, as well as forms of self-care and community-care, rather than involving drug dependence or addiction. The contemporary use of APP in Western societies is gaining popularity. International drug policies and the schedule of controlled drugs claim to be based on scientific evidence, but this evidence is limited. The contemporary myopic focus on the risks and harms of drugs overlooks important realities, such as the benefits of non-problematic drug use. These omissions could in part be rectified through the consideration of scientific findings from the field of ethnography regarding the spiritual and community dimensions of drug use.