by StankyyDankyy
In North America, we know those in the medical marijuana industry by many titles. Whether it be a farmer, grower, trimmer, dealer, or caregiver, we've assigned multiple names for each position. But in the country of Colombia, all these individuals are known by most as "Marimberos". Decades ago, Marimberos was a name given to the cannabis cultivators, smugglers, dealers, and pilots by the local Colombians. They did this so they could quickly identify those individuals involved. After years of Marimberos becoming fairly profitable, the term became more of a social distinction for those of financial and social status. After a decade of growth and knowledge, these Marimberos were at the top of their game. That is, until another drug swept the nation.
In the early 1970s, cocaine started to make its way throughout the country. This caught the attention of most of the marijuana drug dealers. Distributing cocaine was a much faster and easier way to make money. Over the next ten years, it would become the largest cocaine market in the world. And in doing so, brought the marijuana movement to a complete halt. Colombia has unfortunately been associated with cocaine ever since. Because of cartels fighting over boundaries, the drug trade became increasingly violent over time. While all of this was occurring, the next generation of Marimberos were being born. Little did the Colombians know, amongst these future Marimberos was an individual that would forever change the South American cannabis culture.
Alejandro Londono grew up in this violent culture. Marijuana was a common thing in his household growing up. Rather than being a taboo subject like it is in many American families, it was presented as a gift from nature in his. His older brothers used it, and would occasionally grow some for personal use in their family garden. It the late 80s and early 90s, Alejandro began using cannabis. As a consumer, his interest in the plant peaked to an all time high. In 1991, he moved to Miami to escape the violence of his country. Once he was in the States, he was able to learn more about the medical benefits of the plant. In Colombia, he had never had access to this type of knowledge. After some time, he found a group of friends with similiar interest and knowledge. And by 1992, found himself buying his first lamps. He would spend the next few years continuing to gain knowledge and experience in his trade.
In 1995, Alejandro left the states to return to Colombia. And with him, he brought his newly acquired knowledge. Using that knowledge, he adapted new indoor cultivating techniques never seen before in his country. He shared his knowledge with others cultivators in the area. And eventually began developing his own genetics. While he was busy influencing others, he would meet one of his biggest influences in the industry, Mila Jansen. Mila, owner of Pollinator Company, was and still is one of the biggest pioneers of the modern marijuana movement. She would go on to introduce Alejandro to new books and various people that would continue to build his knowledge on all things cannabis. He was living his dream and making a living doing it. But the movement was still a long way from where it needed to be. This was ever so apparent when he was met with a reality check. His two older brothers, Mao and Caliche, were both killed in the senseless drug war. These events put things in perspective for Alejandro and reminded him that there was a long way to go.
After years of working illegally, several South American countries loosened marijuana laws and began recognizing the medical benefits of the plant. This allowed Alejandro and his fellow Marimberos to finally cross the border with their work. He began sharing his knowledge with cultivators in various other countries. As of last year, they were working with Cannabis clubs in Colombia, Spain, Argentina and Uruguay, which recently became the first country to completely legalize cannabis. Alejandro is currently a consultant of the Uruguayan government through AECU. Finally, after spending 20 years experimenting with genetics and creating hundreds of strains, Alejandro has narrowed it down to a few dozen of the best and plans to launch his seed bank company "Marimberos" this year.
I recently had the honor of sitting down and talking with Alejandro about his past experiences, his current operations, and his future endeavors. First, I wanted to get a clearer idea of which companies he owned and operated. His main company is his seed bank company Marimberos. As I mentioned, he has spent over 20 years experimenting with genetics. After creating hundreds of strains, he eventually narrowed it down to a few dozen. Some of his best are memorials to his late father, his fallen brothers, and most notably to his daughter. "Nicole Kush" is an award winning strain, winning best flower and best concentrate in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. "I've been lucky enough to live in Europe for a few years. And I'm proud to say that I've been close to the biggest names in the industry and have learned from the best of them." he said. Global Cannabis Solutions is his second company, based out of Uruguay. It has been in operation for the past 2 years and has yet to be opened to the public.
Knowing of how successful he had been in the past, I was especially interested in his current projects. Like being a cannabis consultant for the Uruguayan government isn't enough, Alejandro has some other big plans in the works! His mentor Mila Jansen had previously owned and operated the Hemp Hotel, based out of Amsterdam. After 15 long and successful years, she recently had to close the hotel. Alejandro plans to reopen the Hemp Hotel in Uruguay, naming it so in honor of her. He also has plans to open a cannabis university not too far from the hotel. Last and most importantly is his lab based out of Uruguay, which sole purpose is to produce cannabonoids and CBD based medicine. He hopes that with their low cost of production, they will some day be able to give clean and affordable medicine to those in need. As an advocate of medical marijuana, the plans of the hotel, university, and his revolutionary work in the lab get me very enthused about the marijuana movement. And as Alejandro puts it, "I have big hopes. The sky is the limit now that they have given us a playground, buddy."
Escaping the violence of his country, Alejandro immigrated to America to better his life. And in doing so, he discovered his path. After the marijuana movement came to a halt in the 70s, Alejandro and individuals like him were able to use their passion and knowledge to ensure that it would have a monumental comeback. Now, after 25 years in the industry, he's at the top of his game. Breeding hundreds of strains, winning award after award, consulting with the Uruguayan government, and this is all just the beginning. With the plans to publicly launch his seed bank on a global scale, Alejandro and the Marimberos family are sure to be popping up (pardon the pun) everywhere in the near future. It's obvious that he had to overcome obstacle after obstacle and was faced with adversity the entire time. But with passion and perseverance, he overcame that adversity and is now one of the leading geneticist of our generation. His passion for the plant alone is enough to make Alejandro Londono my "Stoner Of The Week".
To read more about Alejandro's story and the history of Marimberos, visit http://issuu.com/marimberos/docs/marimberosissuu. And to see photos of Marimberos operations and adventures, go to www.Instagram.com/Marimberos. Tune in next week to see who will be crowned the next Stoner Of The Week.
In North America, we know those in the medical marijuana industry by many titles. Whether it be a farmer, grower, trimmer, dealer, or caregiver, we've assigned multiple names for each position. But in the country of Colombia, all these individuals are known by most as "Marimberos". Decades ago, Marimberos was a name given to the cannabis cultivators, smugglers, dealers, and pilots by the local Colombians. They did this so they could quickly identify those individuals involved. After years of Marimberos becoming fairly profitable, the term became more of a social distinction for those of financial and social status. After a decade of growth and knowledge, these Marimberos were at the top of their game. That is, until another drug swept the nation.
In the early 1970s, cocaine started to make its way throughout the country. This caught the attention of most of the marijuana drug dealers. Distributing cocaine was a much faster and easier way to make money. Over the next ten years, it would become the largest cocaine market in the world. And in doing so, brought the marijuana movement to a complete halt. Colombia has unfortunately been associated with cocaine ever since. Because of cartels fighting over boundaries, the drug trade became increasingly violent over time. While all of this was occurring, the next generation of Marimberos were being born. Little did the Colombians know, amongst these future Marimberos was an individual that would forever change the South American cannabis culture.
Alejandro Londono grew up in this violent culture. Marijuana was a common thing in his household growing up. Rather than being a taboo subject like it is in many American families, it was presented as a gift from nature in his. His older brothers used it, and would occasionally grow some for personal use in their family garden. It the late 80s and early 90s, Alejandro began using cannabis. As a consumer, his interest in the plant peaked to an all time high. In 1991, he moved to Miami to escape the violence of his country. Once he was in the States, he was able to learn more about the medical benefits of the plant. In Colombia, he had never had access to this type of knowledge. After some time, he found a group of friends with similiar interest and knowledge. And by 1992, found himself buying his first lamps. He would spend the next few years continuing to gain knowledge and experience in his trade.
In 1995, Alejandro left the states to return to Colombia. And with him, he brought his newly acquired knowledge. Using that knowledge, he adapted new indoor cultivating techniques never seen before in his country. He shared his knowledge with others cultivators in the area. And eventually began developing his own genetics. While he was busy influencing others, he would meet one of his biggest influences in the industry, Mila Jansen. Mila, owner of Pollinator Company, was and still is one of the biggest pioneers of the modern marijuana movement. She would go on to introduce Alejandro to new books and various people that would continue to build his knowledge on all things cannabis. He was living his dream and making a living doing it. But the movement was still a long way from where it needed to be. This was ever so apparent when he was met with a reality check. His two older brothers, Mao and Caliche, were both killed in the senseless drug war. These events put things in perspective for Alejandro and reminded him that there was a long way to go.
After years of working illegally, several South American countries loosened marijuana laws and began recognizing the medical benefits of the plant. This allowed Alejandro and his fellow Marimberos to finally cross the border with their work. He began sharing his knowledge with cultivators in various other countries. As of last year, they were working with Cannabis clubs in Colombia, Spain, Argentina and Uruguay, which recently became the first country to completely legalize cannabis. Alejandro is currently a consultant of the Uruguayan government through AECU. Finally, after spending 20 years experimenting with genetics and creating hundreds of strains, Alejandro has narrowed it down to a few dozen of the best and plans to launch his seed bank company "Marimberos" this year.
I recently had the honor of sitting down and talking with Alejandro about his past experiences, his current operations, and his future endeavors. First, I wanted to get a clearer idea of which companies he owned and operated. His main company is his seed bank company Marimberos. As I mentioned, he has spent over 20 years experimenting with genetics. After creating hundreds of strains, he eventually narrowed it down to a few dozen. Some of his best are memorials to his late father, his fallen brothers, and most notably to his daughter. "Nicole Kush" is an award winning strain, winning best flower and best concentrate in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. "I've been lucky enough to live in Europe for a few years. And I'm proud to say that I've been close to the biggest names in the industry and have learned from the best of them." he said. Global Cannabis Solutions is his second company, based out of Uruguay. It has been in operation for the past 2 years and has yet to be opened to the public.
Knowing of how successful he had been in the past, I was especially interested in his current projects. Like being a cannabis consultant for the Uruguayan government isn't enough, Alejandro has some other big plans in the works! His mentor Mila Jansen had previously owned and operated the Hemp Hotel, based out of Amsterdam. After 15 long and successful years, she recently had to close the hotel. Alejandro plans to reopen the Hemp Hotel in Uruguay, naming it so in honor of her. He also has plans to open a cannabis university not too far from the hotel. Last and most importantly is his lab based out of Uruguay, which sole purpose is to produce cannabonoids and CBD based medicine. He hopes that with their low cost of production, they will some day be able to give clean and affordable medicine to those in need. As an advocate of medical marijuana, the plans of the hotel, university, and his revolutionary work in the lab get me very enthused about the marijuana movement. And as Alejandro puts it, "I have big hopes. The sky is the limit now that they have given us a playground, buddy."
Escaping the violence of his country, Alejandro immigrated to America to better his life. And in doing so, he discovered his path. After the marijuana movement came to a halt in the 70s, Alejandro and individuals like him were able to use their passion and knowledge to ensure that it would have a monumental comeback. Now, after 25 years in the industry, he's at the top of his game. Breeding hundreds of strains, winning award after award, consulting with the Uruguayan government, and this is all just the beginning. With the plans to publicly launch his seed bank on a global scale, Alejandro and the Marimberos family are sure to be popping up (pardon the pun) everywhere in the near future. It's obvious that he had to overcome obstacle after obstacle and was faced with adversity the entire time. But with passion and perseverance, he overcame that adversity and is now one of the leading geneticist of our generation. His passion for the plant alone is enough to make Alejandro Londono my "Stoner Of The Week".
To read more about Alejandro's story and the history of Marimberos, visit http://issuu.com/marimberos/docs/marimberosissuu. And to see photos of Marimberos operations and adventures, go to www.Instagram.com/Marimberos. Tune in next week to see who will be crowned the next Stoner Of The Week.
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