Is the U.S. Latino Community ready to shake off the marijuana stigma?
Photo Credit: Edgard Garrido, Reuters
By Erick Soto, Partnerships Director, National Cannabis Festival
Stigmas associated with marijuana and marijuana-use are prevalent within Latino communities across the U.S. Spanish terms like “Marihuanero” (stoner), “malandro” (drug dealer – criminal) and “pandillero” (gang member) are all terms with negative connotations often still associated with marijuana-use within a Latin American household. The stigma may originate from a Latin American history fraught with violence generated from the war on drugs, a region with strong religious ties, and a history where immigrant populations in the U.S. feared being persecuted. The term “marihuana” itself has historical racist undertones in the U.S. dating as far back as the 1930s. Despite the persistent and historical negative associations with marijuana-use, there are signs that the marijuana stigma appears to be less prevalent among U.S.-born children of Latin American immigrants.
“Even though many cultures across Latin America have been known to recognize the medical benefits of marijuana, the plant has predominantly been associated with violence across the region.”
Even though many cultures across Latin America have been known to recognize the medical benefits of marijuana, the plant has predominantly been associated with violence across the region. Parents of U.S.-born Latinos likely recall the decades of government-sanctioned violence and casualties attributed to the war on drugs. It’s no surprise that many older generation Latin Americans in the U.S. continue to have reservations about enacting policies that legalize marijuana, given its history of brutal violence and heavy-handed policies that criminalized the use and sale of marijuana. Further contributing to marijuana stigma, immigrants fear any association with marijuana could impact their U.S. citizenship status under current U.S. laws, even in states where adult-use of marijuana may be legal. In the mid-1930s, American politicians and regulators referred to marijuana as a byproduct of Mexican immigrants coming into the U.S. and were therefore a threat to the moral fabric of American society. Even today, being tied to marijuana has grave consequences for the Latin American immigrant communities. Many fear having their citizenship status denied or revoked by authorities if they are associated with marijuana or marijuana-use, even in states where adult-use is legal.
“However, the stigma may be loosening its grip on the Latino community, particularly in the United States where marijuana programs are now legal in 36 states and the District of Columbia.”
Latin America’s strong ties to religion may be another contributor to the marijuana stigma. In surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2014, over 80% of Latin Americans predominantly identify as having been raised Catholic, followed next by 9% saying they were raised under Protestant values. The Catholic church has been and remains an influential presence across Latin America, and it has maintained its opposition to marijuana regulation arguing it can lead to drug addiction and is a moral threat to society. This tracks with the historically conservative Latin American views that often shape older immigrant populations’ perspectives regarding marijuana and its policies. However, the stigma may be loosening its grip on the Latinos community, particularly in the United States where marijuana programs are now legal in 36 states and the District of Columbia. It seems that the majority of Americans are more accepting of marijuana as a regulated wellness product.
“In a national survey conducted by Pew Research in 2014, 81% of surveyed U.S.-Hispanics approved some degree of legalization.”
There are signs indicating that the U.S.-born Latino communities may be bucking their parents’ views of marijuana. More and more U.S. born children of Latin American immigrants are shunning the stigma associated with marijuana and viewing it as a wellness tool. In a national survey conducted by Pew Research in 2014, 81% of surveyed U.S.-Hispanics approved some degree of legalization. According, a separate survey conducted by marketing company MRI-Simmons in 2018, U.S.-Hispanics were more likely to support legalization over non-Hispanic Americans. As the medical and social justice benefits of marijuana become more publicly acceptable, marijuana legalization in the U.S. may finally eliminate the negative marijuana stigmas of our parent’s past.