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Earlier this month on August 9th, we commemorated the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, remembering the various forms of human rights abuses that have long undermined the quality of lives of indigenous peoples around the globe.
Dear reader,
Earlier this month on August 9th, we commemorated the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, remembering the various forms of human rights abuses that have long undermined the quality of lives of indigenous peoples around the globe. Sadly, repressive drug control measures still constitute a part of these abuses today.
When the UN drug control treaty regime was established, the rights of indigenous peoples had not yet acquired the recognition under international law that they have today. But over the following decades, growing awareness was built around the importance of human rights provisions in the context of drug control policies, including those affecting indigenous communities. These include, but are not limited to, the rights of “indigenous peoples to maintain their traditional health and cultural practices”, “to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development, and to engage freely in all their traditional and other economic activities”.
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Decades of prohibitionist measures have altered our perception on psychoactive substances, how they are used, and their meanings for individuals and communities. Below are several often forgotten examples that illustrate the cultural significance of psychoactive substances used by indigenous peoples around the world.
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| Cannabis, coca, and opium |
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| Right at the heart of the global drug control system is the treaty-mandated suppression of traditional, cultural, and ceremonial uses of cannabis, coca, and opium poppy – which have been used for centuries in a wide array of spiritual and social contexts. Cannabis was used as part of Sufi traditions in the Middle East and as traditional medicine in Sumatra, China, India and some parts of Southeast Asia, where examples of cultural and medicinal uses of opium can also still be found. In Myanmar, opium is used as traditional medicine for alleviating pain, cough, and dysentery, to name a few. On the other hand, the coca leaf – which has been mystified and demonised – continues to be a vital part of indigenous traditions in the Andean Amazon region and beyond.
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Ayahuasca is a traditional brew which has long been used by indigenous tribes in the Amazon as part of spiritual ceremonies and rituals. Its potent effects are described as psychedelic and potentially transformative, helping to explain a wave of ayahuasca commercialisation in recent decades. Ayahuasca is not subject to any form of restrictive control under the UN drug conventions, but the psychoactive compound DMT (dimethyltryptamine) found in the brew is listed under Schedule I of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. As the popularity of ayahuasca increases, criminal prosecution of people who use ayahuasca is also on the rise, posing a threat to communities who have consumed the brew for centuries as part of cultural and religious practices.
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Khat is a naturally occurring stimulant that has been compared to coca leaves, coffee and amphetamine. It has been used by communities across Eastern Africa and Southern Arabia for centuries, if not millennia. Khat chewing, often practiced in communal settings, is traditionally accompanied by conversations, music playing, poetry and Koran reading. Similar to ayahuasca, khat is not controlled under the UN drug conventions. However, in some countries with significant East African migrant communities, who have brought this cultural practice to their new homes, governments have made moves to criminalise its use. This has had negative impacts on already marginalised migrant communities in several countries.
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Native to Southeast Asia with recent growing popularity in the West, kratom is a tropical tree whose leaves are used for medicinal and recreational purposes, either as a stimulant (at lower doses) or as a depressant (at higher doses). Traditional uses of kratom in Thailand, particularly characterised by kratom chewing, are viewed differently than other, more modern forms of consumption, such as the use of kratom in concoction with soft drinks or cough syrup – a trend which attracted punitive responses from the Thai government in the 2000s. A promising change is underway, however. In December 2018, the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand passed an amendment to the narcotics law, which legalised the production, import, export, possession and use of cannabis and kratom products for medical purposes. Still possession, cultivation and trade of Kratom remains illegal for the indigenous people in Myanmar and Malaysia, while the government of Indonesia is considering to criminalise the plant.
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| Psychedelic Liberty Summit: Super Early Bird Offer |
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There are many more examples of indigenous uses of psychoactive substances that still exist until today, albeit threatened by excessive commercialisation and environmental degradation. In support of defending the rights and welfare of indigenous communities in this context, TNI is proud to be a community member of the upcoming Psychedelic Liberty Summit in April 2020. Find out more about what it takes to participate in the Summit on this page. Using the code TNI would yield a 10 percent discount of your registration fee.
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Formed in 1996, the TNI Drugs & Democracy programme explores the underlying causes of drug production and consumption and advocates for evidence-based policies that respect the human rights of producers and consumers. |
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