Brazil minister claims state ‘Never waged drug war’ in face of rising imprisonment for drug offences

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”.

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Thumbnail: Flickr CC André Gustavo Stumpf