Decriminalization of Drugs: An Alternative to Decrease Brazilian Violence

Abstract

In Brazil, the issue of violence can be thought by two dimensions of significant proportions, drug trafficking and use and weapon trafficking and licensing. The increase of these activities, due to the involved content of violence, cruelty, and transformation of evil into a routine, is amongst the phenomena that multiply fear and the feeling of insecurity with which some Brazilian cities live currently. The backdrop of the following reflections is the Federal District, used as an example of some of the issues to be addressed. The figures involving drug possession, use, and trafficking in the Federal District have been increasing significantly, be it considering the perpetrators or the crimes, and these data are strictly related to the increase in violence in the region; its roots are multiple and complex making it impossible to explain through linear causal relations. One argument that we would like to focus here considers that if the decriminalization of drugs occurred and a countless amount of activities that currently took place in the underworld of invisibility, within the logic of terror, fear, accusation, and inhumanity were introduced into the market and regulated competition, the current violence indexes could decrease. The ones who are in favor of this argument are also willing to admit the difficulties to evidence it due to precarious amounts of information and data available, as a consequence of the illegal characteristic of the activities involved. Summing up, it can be said that the data presented and the arguments derived from these data give empirical and theoretical support to the argument in favor of broadening the knowledge and the debate about the possibility, the effects and the consequences of bringing, in a still undefined future, activities involving drug use and trafficking into legality.

Share and Cite:

M. Porto and W. Maciel, "Decriminalization of Drugs: An Alternative to Decrease Brazilian Violence," Open Journal of Medical Psychology, Vol. 3 No. 2, 2014, pp. 101-112. doi: 10.4236/ojmp.2014.32013.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] S. de Carvalho, “The Criminal Policy of Drugs in Brazil: Study Criminological and Dogmatic Law 11.343/06 (A Política Criminal de Drogas no Brasil: Estudo Criminológico e Dogmático da Lei 11.343/06),” Saraiva, Sao Paulo, 2013.
[2] H. S. Becker, “Outsiders, études de la Sociologie de la Déviance,” Editions Métailié, Paris, 1985.
[3] D. Jodelet, “Représentations Sociales: Un Domaine en Expansion,” In: D. Jodelet, Ed., Les Représentations Sociales, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 1989.
[4] E. C. Coelho, “The Devil’s Workshop and Other Studies of Crime (A Oficina do Diabo e Outros Estudos de Criminalidade),” Record, Rio de Janeiro, 2005.
[5] A. M. Costa and L. M. Bandeira, “A Brief Mapping of Field Studies on Public Safety (Um Breve Mapeamento do Campo de Estudos Sobre Seguranca Pública),” In A. M. Costa and L. M. Bandeira, Eds., The Public Security in the Distrito Federal (A Seguranca Pública no Distrito Federal), Editora L.G.E., Brasília, 2007.
[6] A. Zaluar, “Perverse Integration: Poverty and Drug Trafficking (Integracao Perversa: Pobreza e Tráfico de Drogas),” Editora FGV, Rio de Janeiro, 2004.
[7] C. A. Volpi Filho, “Punctual Considerations about the new Drug Law (Law 11.343/2006) (Consideracoes Pontuais sobre a Nova Lei Antidrogas (Lei 11.343/2006)),” Google Research, 2006.
[8] L. Dowdney, “From Aviaozinhos the Soldiers: The Growing Involvement of Children in Armed Groups Fighting Drug Trafficking In Rio de Janeiro (De aviaozinhos a Soldados: O Crescente Envolvimento de Criancas nas Lutas de Grupos Armados do Tráfico de Drogas no Rio de Janeiro),” In: N. V. Oliveira, Ed., Public Insecurity: Reflections on Crime and Urban Violence (Inseguranca Pública: Reflexoes Sobre a Criminalidade e a Violência Urbana), Nova Alexandria, S. Paulo, 2002.
[9] A. Procópio, et al., “Drug Trafficking and Human Security (Narcotráfico e Seguranca Humana),” Editora LTr, S. Paulo, 1999.
[10] A. Zaluar, “Violence: Social or Institutional Issues? (Violência: Questao Social ou Institucional?),” In: N. V. Oliveira, Ed., Public Insecurity: Reflections on Crime and Urban Violence (Inseguranca Pública: Reflexoes sobre a Criminalidade e a Violência Urbana), Nova Alexandria, S. Paulo, 2002.
[11] A. Zaluar, “Not to Say I Did Not Speak Samba: The Riddles of Violence in Brazil (Para nao Dizer que nao Falei de Samba: Os Enigmas da Violência no Brasil),” In: L. M. Schwarcz, Ed., History of Private Life in Brazil (História da Vida Privada no Brasil), Companhia das Letras, S. Paulo, 2006.
[12] M. Misse, “Crime and Poverty: Old Approaches, New Problems (Crime e Pobreza: Velhos Enfoques, Novos Problemas),” In: G. Villas-Boas and M. A. Goncalves, Eds., Brazil at the Turn of the Century (O Brasil na Virada do Século), Relume-Dumará, Rio de Janeiro, 1995.
[13] C. Beato, “Determinants of Crime in Minas Gerais (Determinantes da Criminalidade em Minas Gerais),” Brazilian Journal of Social Sciences (Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais), Vol. 13, No. 37, 1998. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-69091998000200004
[14] M. Wieviorka, “The New Paradigm of Violence (O Novo Paradigma da Violência),” Social Time, Journal of Sociology, USP (Tempo Social, Revista de Sociologia da USP), Vol. 9, No. 1, 1997, pp. 5-41.
[15] M. S. G. Porto, “Violence between Inclusion and Social Exclusion (A Violência entre a Inclusao e a Exclusao Social),” Social Time, Journal of Sociology, USP (Tempo Social, Revista de Sociologia da USP), Vol. 12, No. 1, 2000, pp. 187-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-20702000000100010
[16] J. Lemgruber, “Thefts, Drugs and Hypocrisy (De Roubos, Drogas e Hipocrisia),” Centre for Studies in Security and Citizenship (Centro de Estudos de Cidadania e Seguranca —CESeC), 2002.
[17] J. Lemgruber, “Crime Control: Myths and Facts (Controle da Criminalidade: Mitos e Fatos),” In: N. V. Oliveira, Ed., Public Insecurity: Reflections on Crime and Urban Violence (Inseguranca Pública: Reflexoes Sobre a Criminalidade e a Violência Urbana), Nova Alexandria, S. Paulo, 2002.
[18] A. Oliveira and J. Zaverucha, “Drug Trafficking: Reviewing the Bibliography and Justifying the Explanation by Mechanism (Tráfico de Drogas: Revisando a Bibliografia e Justificando a Explicacao por Mecanismo),” In: Brazilian Journal of Bibliographic Information on Social Sciences (Revista Brasileira de Informacao Bibliográfica em Ciências Sociais—BIBCS), No. 62, ANPOCS, Paulo, 1996.
[19] R. C. Coelho, “Why Legalize the Use of Drugs (Por Que Legalizar o Uso de Drogas),” Notices, Electronic Research, 2006.
[20] A. B. Nascimento, “A Critical View of Policies and Pathologizing Decriminalization of Drug Users (Uma Visao Crítica das Políticas de Descriminalizacao e Patologizacao do Usuário de Drogas),” Psicologia em Estudo, Vol. 11, No. 1, 2006, pp. 185-190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-73722006000100021

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.