Indopedia All Things Marijuana
When I found out Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize marijuana in 2013, I was genuinely shocked. Growing up as a first-generation Colombian-American in a predominately Latine New Jersey neighborhood, I knew what my Latin American and Latine community, and especially its elders, thought about weed. For one, my immigrant parents made it very clear that my sister and I were never, ever to smoke hierba. But there were also stereotypes tied to being a so-called marijuanera, like being lazy, sketchy, and unladylike, whatever that means, and cautionary tales of what could happen once you start smoking this alleged gateway drug, and one included the very real prospect of going to jail.
