The South American Cannabis Route: An Immersive Ethnography of Consumption, Markets, and Sociopolitical Disputes on the Pacific Coast

Abstract

Introduction: This study analyzes the social, territorial, economic, and political dynamics associated with cannabis through an ethnographic journey across cities on the South American Pacific coast. The problem is approached from the premise that consumption practices, markets, and forms of control are not distributed homogeneously, but depend on specific historical, moral, institutional, and geographical configurations. Objective: To comparatively characterize how recreational cannabis consumption practices, markets, and sociopolitical disputes are configured in cities across Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Method: An immersive, multi-sited ethnography was conducted between February and May 2026, combining participant and non-participant observation, informal interviews, and field conversations. The corpus included interactions with 59 people differently connected to cannabis scenes and records from urban, commercial, institutional, and border settings. Information was organized through thematic coding and cross-city comparison. Results: The findings revealed differentiated configurations. Chile combined social tolerance with discretionary control; Peru showed greater discretion, stigma, and access through closed networks; Ecuador displayed overlapping formal, gray, and informal circuits; and Colombia stood out for high public visibility, organizational density, and regulatory contestation. Market formalization and social normalization did not necessarily move in the same direction. Conclusions: Cannabis constitutes a relational and territorially variable social object. Its everyday regulation depends on trust networks, local moralities, commercial infrastructure, formalization capacities, and state control. Public policies should recognize these differences and avoid uniform regulatory models.