Thousands of people have joined protests in cities across Latin America to demand the legalisation of marijuana

Some protesters - like these men in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo - marked the occasion by partaking of their favourite smoke

Others did so in symbolic form - like this man in Valparaiso in Chile.

One of the biggest marchers was in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where banners stressed the medicinal properties of cannabis.

The protesters - like this woman in Buenos Aires - say legalising grown marijuana will reduce the power of drug traffickers and let consumers know exactly what they are smoking.

This year has seen the emergence of serious political debate on legalisation in Latin America as a way of reducing drug-related violence