Opinion: decriminalisation of drug consumption goes before STF

A historic session may review prohibitive stance

Photo: Bianca Moreira

An article published by Juana Kweitel, Executive Director at Conectas and Cristiano Maronna, Executive Secretary of the Plataforma Brasileira de Política de Drogas (Brazilian Platform for Drugs Policy), on the site of the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

In one month the STF (Supreme Federal Court) will once again take up judgment of a judicial remedy of the São Paulo Public Defender’s Office, that calls for recognition of the unconstitutional nature of the criminalisation of the possession of drugs for personal use in Brazil.

This is a historic session, not only because it could force the state to review its prohibitive stance on an issue that belongs in the field of health, but also because it has a direct impact on the war on drugs policy (an important factor of urban violence), on the criminalisation of black people and those living in underprivileged areas and on mass incarceration.