culture
March 30, 2026
Cinema cannabis
Watching movies in Cartagena was an afternoon and evening activity. With almost all theaters being open-air, the conditions were conducive to marijuana consumption among other disturbances. The educated class complained about this in the press. Donaldo Bossa Herazo expressed himself as follows, on August 15, 1950, in El Universal: 'If Mr. Mayor were to take a stroll down the avenue of Pie de La Popa, he would see lovely sights. For example, in the innumerable stalls that flourish along said avenue - from the corner of the breeze to the caiman - he would see, at all hours of the day and night, groups of idlers, mostly minors, subjects with no known occupation, but who always have money to play billiards, drink their drinks, and... worship the nefarious herb ‘green, pneumonic, cannabis, indica - ex ‘Babylonian’ - introduced to our country, along with the bad films from Mexico, the false Mexico of the ‘jorgenegretes’, the horrible corridos and the terrible cinematic jokes'.
TL;DR
- Cartagena's open-air cinemas were sites for marijuana consumption and other disturbances.
- The educated class voiced concerns in the press about public behavior and drug use at cinemas.
- Newspaper reports documented drug sales, thefts, and vandalism at various theaters.
- The 'Junta de Censura de Espectáculos Públicos' attempted to regulate public behavior, particularly regarding cabaret-style performances.
- The film 'Cuando las colegialas pecan' (1970) created an unusual atmosphere of silence and attentiveness among moviegoers.