Was Manuel Belgrano Argentina's First Cannabis Grower? The Hemp History

Cannabis and history in Argentina: was Belgrano the first grower?

Manuel Belgrano, one of Argentina's founding fathers, has a solid claim to being the country's first serious cannabis grower: in the late 1700s he pushed hemp farming as an economic engine and reportedly swapped seeds and growing notes with a friend in Chile. That's the story in Fernando Soriano's fascinating book “Marihuana. La historia. De Manuel Belgrano a las copas cannábicas” (roughly, “Marijuana: The History, From Manuel Belgrano to the Cannabis Cups”), which takes us back to an Argentina that wanted economic growth above all else. Getting there meant figuring out what to farm, what to export and what to import, and hemp made it onto the agenda because Belgrano took a real interest in the plant. The man who created the Argentine flag studied law in Spain and graduated at 18. Besides being a lawyer, he was an economist, journalist, politician and diplomat, and he made his mark as a military leader in Argentina, Paraguay and Upper Peru (today's Bolivia). A born revolutionary, he was among the first to push for ousting the Spanish viceroy and moving ahead with the May Revolution of 1810, the first step toward independence. But what we care about here is his relationship with hemp. It started when Spain sent Belgrano back to the Río de la Plata, hoping to have an ally on the ground. Instead, seeing the brutal poverty and hunger people were living in, he came to believe they deserved a free country. In his own words: “No one doubts that a State that masters, to the highest perfection, the true cultivation of its land is the true land of happiness, for there true wealth will be found.”

His interest in the plant was economic. As he put it, land rich in crops is rich land, and a big cash crop back then was a huge deal. Belgrano believed hemp farming could end poverty, since the fiber was used to make cloth, candlewicks and rope, which were essential for building and rigging ships. Legend has it that Belgrano traded notes on the plant with his Chilean confidant Manuel de Salas, who sent him seeds. Belgrano supposedly even wrote a growing manual, complete with planting and harvest dates and tips on caring for the plant. Did he ever try the flower, too? We'll never know.

When did marijuana arrive in Argentina?

Smokable marijuana showed up in Argentina in the early 20th century. It's believed to have been brought in by immigrants from countries like Mexico and Paraguay. Back then, cannabis was grown mainly in the north of the country, where the climate suited it. Since then, its presence and use have spread nationwide, for both recreational and medical purposes. Worth noting: in Argentina, marijuana is still considered illegal for non-medical use, and its use and distribution are regulated by law.

What's the history of cannabis in Argentina?

The modern history of cannabis in Argentina goes back to the 20th century, when the plant was introduced by immigrants from Mexico and Paraguay. In those early years, cannabis was used mostly for cultural and traditional purposes within certain communities. Later on, in the 1940s, its medicinal properties were recognized and it was used to make medicines and pharmaceutical products. Long before that, though, the legal picture had already shifted: the Narcotics Law passed in 1924 put cannabis on the list of banned substances. From then on, policies around marijuana got stricter, and control and enforcement ramped up. In the 1960s and 1970s, cannabis had a comeback in Argentina, especially within the counterculture movement. Still, repressive policies and cannabis's status as an illegal drug kept access and widespread use in check. In recent years, there's been real progress in how cannabis is seen and regulated in Argentina. Medical use has been promoted, and there have been debates about legalizing and regulating recreational use. Although cannabis remains illegal for non-medical use, the country's approach to the plant has changed significantly, and it's still a hot topic of discussion and debate in Argentine society.