Punk and cannabis have a long history together as recreational partners. But for one punk musician, cannabis offers so much more than a way to party. Jordi Alacont has a long career in the Mexican underground scene as a member of Gula in the ‘90s and ’00s and, since the early 2010s, Los Viejos. Along with skateboarding, his other passion is developing cannabis products for therapeutic use with Köshy. Offering a variety of CBD drops, gummies, and balms, Köshy is harnessing the medicinal powers of the substance for people looking into alternative medicine.
Alacont became interested in cannabis beyond recreational use when he started growing his own flowers after a friend gave him a cabinet to grow at home. It was a conscientious effort to withdraw from the illegal market and consume “blood-free” cannabis. Curiosity led him to extract oil from his flowers, opening a whole new world for him to explore. “The technique, the methods, the tools. I really liked it,” he says. “The lab part really appealed to me.” Once he immersed himself in this world, Alacont began doing his research, finding information around the internet developed by independent scientists and growers. He learned all about the plant’s therapeutic and medicinal uses and decided to take a step in that direction.
Although the use of cannabis as a therapeutic and medicinal aid stretches back to at least 2,800 B.C. in China, the plant has been targeted by authorities since the early 20th century, limiting not only its distribution for consumption but also any clinical research. Independent studies isolated the plant’s chemical components and experimented with how they affected people in different ways, prompting the legalization of medical cannabis in California in 1996 as part of the Compassionate Use Act. Since then, an industry has developed in the U.S. and Europe.
Once Alacont decided to develop different products, he used his close friends and family members as “guinea pigs.” He would give products to people he knew who had issues ranging from anxiety to migraines to insomnia. “They would tell me, ‘I was able to sleep really well,’ ‘My pain went away,’ ‘I got migraines like crazy [and now they’re gone],’” he says. “This was all through trial and error and a huge responsibility on my part that I didn’t take lightly.” At first, Alacont gave these products to his friends for free. Afterwards, he decided to make gummies, which he thought would lead to commercializing his products. Making edibles came with its own set of troubles, like mixing the right amount of gelatin so they wouldn’t melt. Then came CBD drops and pain relief ointment. However, taking the next step hasn’t been easy.
Right now, the future for cannabis-based therapeutic products in Mexico doesn’t look very bright. With Köshy, Alacont spends most of his time on social media informing people as well as selling his products. While there have been inroads in legalizing cannabis in the country, little has changed in terms of commercialization. “It’s still a niche market,” Alacont says. “It’s still limited to marijuana users and enthusiasts and people who are doing research. I mean, my aunt and my neighbors aren’t even aware of what cannabis is or what it’s used for. So it’s really bad. As long as our government doesn’t pass a law and introduces a regulated market, well, you can’t do much.”
Alacont says that he has created several Instagram accounts for Köshy since they get taken down constantly. Selling these products remains illegal and constitutes a risk. “I can’t use the word ‘cannabis’ on my posts because they get flagged,” he says. “There’s no way forward yet. There hasn’t been a political intention for many years.”
While cannabis has been legal in Mexico for recreational and medicinal uses since 2021, it has not been approved by state or federal laws, and the Supreme Court hasn’t given a deadline to enforce the decision. Alacont points out that there’s a moral reaction from older generations in power. However, he’s confident that complete legalization will happen once Mexico follows a lead from other countries and the growing market. As far as the general public, he says that cannabis is already normalized. “I don’t think people give a damn, dude,” he says. “Nobody cares if you smoke weed anymore.”
Whatever the future of cannabis may be, Alacont will continue with his endeavor as a passion. He says that nowadays all the products are made professionally, analyzing each one so they are up to code with U.S. standard regulations. While Köshy can’t grow beyond people in the know, there’s hope that new developments will allow his products to be commercialized without risk or stigma. “Anyone can benefit from a CBD product,” he says with cautious optimism.
Alacont continues learning every day about new discoveries, technology, and uses regarding cannabis. And taking care of plants — cannabis and others he started growing at home — has become a constant for him. “You have to be there every fucking day,” he says, pointing out that he often has to rush back from gigs with Los Viejos to tend to his garden and sometimes gets anxious thinking about it when he’s on tour. “Gardening is an art form; it’s something very beautiful to me. You have to be really responsible. The most important thing is your garden. It’s tough, but it’s really cool. Very fun,” he says.
Another positive effect is that he has found a community of people around cannabis. He offers a workshop on growing cannabis at home three times a year so that younger generations can grow their own plants. “Most of them don’t know anything about weed, but they’re passionate,” Alacont says. “I think it’s really cool for me to be able to share information. We’re passing the flag, and a community is forming.”
Alacont thinks that spreading the word about cannabis’ benefits can only bring good things, and the ability to expand this community is one of the most important aspects. “We’ll always be sharing information and creating connections with other people,” he says. “We feel like we have a little gem there, and in the end, it’s really cool for humans.”
