A couple of months ago, we shared a list titled “12 Hispanic Power Players In The Cannabis Space To Watch In 2022.” These people, all with different profiles, are overt advocates for cannabis, its benefits and its legalization.
But advocacy takes many forms, some less obvious than others. In the past, I’ve argued that the impact of the entertainment industry (CNBC) and celebrities in general (Rolling Stone) on the mainstreaming of weed is far greater than many believe. It’s all about soft power.
Below is a list of some of the biggest Hispanic artists right now, and their views on the good herb.
Señorita Bimbo
Comedian and entertainer Señorita Bimbo is one of the most vocal cannabis advocates in Argentina’s mainstream media.
What I feel for marijuana is real love. It saved my life. Ever since I tried it, the only thing it did was bring joy to my heart.
There are people who believe it’s escapism, but for me it's the opposite: it's connecting more, facing stuff with an open chest: Something amuses me, I’ll laugh; something hurts me, I’ll cry.
It really is a sacred and miraculous plant. It is good to know what you are smoking, what genetics, what percentages of THC and CBD… and, most importantly, find your dose. There really are people who are two-puffs kind of people.
Wos
Also stemming from Argentina, former freestyle rap champion and current superstar musician Wos has often supported legalization. He’s also managed to find balance between being a cannabis consumer and being extremely productive.
I’ve always tied cannabis to a moment of tranquility and sharing… I feel that cannabis has something similar to rapping at a park in the sense that both are a ritual… You freestyle with friends and pass the word around, just like you would a joint.
This is a plant, it’s natural. Marijuana can be used for many things, and the fact that one doesn’t consume doesn’t mean that you should stop others from enjoying its benefits, both medicinal and recreational.
321 Malena
Peruvian YouTuber and freestyle rap expert 321 Malena isn’t afraid to disclose her use either, even though she’s not a smoker.
I eat cookies because I have a heart problem and smoking doesn't help me. On the other hand, cookies or brownies do work for me. At night it helps me sleep much better because I have many things to do during the day and on a mental level it is very tiring.
Another thing I love about cannabis is that I remember things from my childhood that I didn't remember, happy and beautiful things. Usually, people consume in a group. I like to be alone because it is my own moment, very personal, I kill myself laughing alone.
Xiuhtezcatl
Mexican-American idol Xiuhtezcatl is all about tradition.
There are so many plant-based medicines that have been exploited and criminalized as a way to oppress black and brown people. To truly understand the relationship between society and these medicines, we must abandon the colonialist visions and institutions.
There are so many people locked up for life because they got caught with some weed, because of the war on drugs, which is super racist. We have created a society based on fear.
And also hemp.
Not only do we have to keep fossil fuels in the ground and lower carbon emissions, but we also have to clean all the carbon that we have been producing from the atmosphere. And hemp is an excellent solution. It literally provides an alternative to our insulation needs, building hempcrete structures.
We need to get these resources into people's hands, scale them up, and basically replace the existing infrastructure with hemp. Hemp yarn, clothing, plastics, fuel, ice cream, milk, you name it! Hemp everything!
It is a one-stop-shop, a unique solution. It would literally help in any area. People are scared of how effective hemp is as an alternative. Also, there's a lot of stigma around it because of the fear of cannabis, which is silly.
One day I'll get a hemp crib.
Santa Salut
Catalan rapper Santa Salut is a badass. And, of course, a weed lover too.
Cannabis frequently accompanies me in the creative process, but it is not essential for it. I can write without smoking. But going to a park, smoking a joint and starting to write, it's a cool ritual. More than the cannabis itself, the act of concentrating and relaxing is what inspires me the most. The day I need a joint to inspire me, then we will have a problem.
Andy Chango
Musician, writer and tennis player Andy Chango is one of the most famous cannabis activists in the Southern Cone of the Americas.
I’ve had an anxiety disorder since I was 13 years old, and weed allows me to be calmer, eat more and sleep better.
Everything that’s going on with cannabis and other drugs around the world is because the United States wants it that way… My mission is ideological.
Talking about weed bores me to death. It is obvious that it’s good. I have been consuming it for 40 years and I have already argued with all kinds of idiots. The science world supports cannabis and the business world supports cannabis. I like to advocate for more important issues, like letting cannabis prisoners free… Any legalization movement that does not include prisoners does not interest me because it seems to me to be a logistical and ideological error.
Duki
Duki is one of the most listened-to artists in the world. If you don’t know of him, you’re probably missing out. And, for him, cannabis is a lifestyle.
For me, it’s a habit. And it’s not problematic. If it were, I’d reassess my use.
In my particular case I do not use it medicinally; I use it recreationally, to get high and to feel pleasure. But I don't call it a drug because it seems like a stigma to me: if we're going to call it a drug, yes, it's more like a medicinal drug, not so different from ibuprofen. But compared to synthetic drugs that someone makes and you don't know what the hell they put in them, it's totally different.
You take care of your plant, it comes out of the ground if you give it water, it gives seeds, you can even choose what type you want it to be according to its effects. It is more like making a tea. It is medicinal, but I use it recreationally.
Snow Tha Product
Snow, featured on Forbes a few months ago, is also fond of weed.
I definitely think cannabis helps. There’s been days when it's hard to shut my brain off or focus on my family. Whether it's CBD or a little bit of weed, it helps me to be able to have a chill day. I use it for medicinal reasons as opposed to just being high.
Hopefully it can be just legalized and normalized and decriminalized everywhere, and help out the whole world. I think we're kind of in a f*cked up place: We need a little bit more peace.
Decriminalizing weed is definitely a huge thing. Getting everybody out that went to jail for weed. All these things that have affected people's lives forever,” the rapper continues. In fact, a very close friend of hers went to prison in Mexico for cannabis, and the experience changed his life and limited his opportunities in ways he’d never imagined.
It’s crazy, geography plays such an impact on where your life can change or where you're fine. So I think decriminalizing cannabis federally, and globally. That would be the start.
Sofía Gabanna
Argentine-Spanish rapper Sofía Gabanna has been one of the biggest up-and-comers of the last couple of years. She too, loves weed.
Since I was a little girl, I saw paintings, models, movies... all the characters that came out smoking fascinated me. Smoke always caught my attention, I always had a relationship of curiosity there… But I never liked tobacco, so weed came into play. I also don’t like alcohol, so cannabis is important in my life.
Nowadays, it really helps me write. But it’s all about finding balance in consumption. What cannabis shouldn’t be, is a vice.
La Joaqui
Another massive stoner, also featured on Forbes, is rapper La Joaqui.
Cannabis is taboo but it helps with so many ailments… Smoking helps me a lot. Throughout my adolescence I was very anxious. All my adolescence I was medicated but, when I started smoking, I didn't medicate anymore. Medicinally, the things it can generate are incredible.
Stuart
Freestyle rapper Stuart loves Mary Jane as well.
It's an everyday thing, something I need.
Cannabis is a vice, like rap. Not a harmful one like cigarettes. We always laugh about it: we never went a day without smoking.
In the past, we used to collect coins to get some brick weed… Now we are older, we are thinking about the crop, the quality, the color, the smell. Before we didn't worry about that, it was just getting a hookup. Now, it's a matter of art, that’s how I see it.
Bad Gyal
Spanish pop sensation Bad Gyal is yet another weed aficionado.
Whether for music, for outfits, for ideas for a video clip, for whatever… I have always had a close relationship with cannabis and hashish; they take me to that point of inspiration.
Cannabis has always been good for me to relax, to concentrate, to inspire me… It’s never made me lazy.
DJ Mami
DJ Mami is a pot proponent as well.
Cannabis has always been with me. I used to smoke brick weed… But my way of consuming it changed a lot… Now, I do it during special moments.
I’ve always been a psychonaut too. There is a lot of bad information and many people exposed to unconscious consumption. I feel that, because of my age and knowing that a lot of people who are much younger than I am follow me, it is important to expose my experiences, both the good ones and the not so good ones.
It is wrong to judge the other people for their consumption or lack thereof. They don't have to feel like they have to do something to be more accepted, we're not all the same.
Dillom
Recently featured on Forbes, rapper Dillom is also on board with pot legalization, even though he doesn’t indulge as frequently as he used to himself.
Medical... That’s not even up for debate. I’m obviously for it. What can tell someone who is having a seizure every five minutes? I’m in no position to judge that person.
Sara Hebe
Musician Sara Hebe has also moved away from cannabis while still supporting it.
I used to smoke a lot… but today I can only smoke when I'm partying hard… Or when I am very relaxed, on vacation… But, obviously, I’ll never stop thinking that it has to be legal, recreational and medicinal.
Big Cruz 420
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Finally, Juan Cruz is a well known streamer. He uses cannabis medicinally. He’s been wheel-chair-bound since he was 17.
I have always liked weed… And so I made a career out of it.
Marijuana has always been with me. I always had her by my side, I always smoked. I had a lot of spasms and marijuana calmed them down. It’s incredible.
I’d like to tell people: “Don't be afraid of marijuana, but also don't overdo it. It could become an addiction… It is something to be careful with, but it is very beneficial.
Note: All quotes not attributed to Forbes are from Latin American media outlet El Planteo.
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This article was originally published on Forbes and appears here with permission.
