Last week marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the Alcohol Prohibition in the US.
In what was a bit of a surprise, the Conrad Black owned Wall Street Journal, published an interesting piece questioning the policy of drug prohibition, and indeed calling for its End.
The Policy decisions of the US have troubling effects for its Southern and to a different degree its Northern neighbors, what is common is the militarization of those borders.
Last week also saw the publishing of a historical find, scientists recently discovered a 2,700 year old stash, in a tomb in China. Also buried with the presumed shaman, was a harp which goes to show the relationship between drugs and music is an ancient one.
Drugs, Music and Religion share a common space in various cultures around the world. Rastafarianism is the one with the most notoriety in the Anglosphere due to its connection to many successful reggae artists the first and probably best known being Bob Marley. Reggae therefore has an amazing quantity of songs praising the herb.
One of my favorites which deals with prohibition, is from reggae artists Everton Blender and Anthony B is called Brain Food
Quite fitting aswell is this cumbia gem I recently stumbled upon by La Linda Vera, called Yerba Santa, via DJ / crate-digger Thisistomorrow, though it is about a licit plant, it could be about an illicit one.
As the article mentioned, Bolivia expulsing the DEA, what the article obviously didn't mention is the history of intervention. This song, by Wara, is called La Hoja de Coca
But the song which best summarizes the hypocrisy of prohibition has to be this one by Quebec Artist Monoc Serge.
Enjoy.
