Un ministro brasileño afirma que el Estado ‘nunca libró una guerra contra las drogas’ ante el creciente encarcelamiento por delitos de drogas

Un ministro brasileño ha defendido que se intensifique la guerra contra las drogas, sosteniendo que, si los castigos son más duros, se reducirá el uso de drogas. Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

Suscríbase a las Alertas mensuales del IDPC para recibir información sobre cuestiones relacionadas con políticas sobre drogas.

A Brazilian minister has called for an intensification of the War on Drugs, arguing that harsher punishments will reduce drug use.

Earlier this week, Osmar Terra - who was appointed Minister of Social Development in May 2016 – claimed in a conversation with O Globo that Brazil has “never seriously waged a war on drugs”. He called for increased border control, stricter penalties for drug trafficking, and educational campaigns, to combat the country’s rising drug use.

The Brooking Institute reports that cocaine use in Brazil has "more than doubled since 2005", and attributes this to an increasingly urban and affluent population with disposable income. Terra claimed that decriminalising drug possession would set a dangerous precedent for the eventual legalisation of substances, and that without “some kind of punishment, [people who use drugs] will consume more”.

Click here to read the full article.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Thumbnail: Flickr CC André Gustavo Stumpf