UNGASS :: War on drugs on the agenda

Conectas – What has Brazil’s position been in the preparation process for UNGASS and what role will it play during the event?

G.E. – The Brazilian government shifted from a distant position at the start of the process to a more active and progressive position later on. It was one of the leading proponents of the idea that drug decriminalization and harm reduction policies do not require changes in the three conventions on drugs that form the basis of international drug policy. Furthermore, it was the first country to defend the inclusion of the racial perspective in the UNGASS final document, stating that the drug policy has more of an effect on black people in Brazil and other countries, and that this should be taken into consideration in the discussions on international drug policy. Brazil was also one of the countries most receptive to civil society, becoming a reference for both Brazilian organizations and movements and those from other countries. This progressive position, inconsistent with the repressive and violent policy adopted inside the country, presents us with the opportunity and the challenge to fight to ensure that Brazil itself adopts a policy that is more aligned with the principles of human rights and public health that made us so proud in the international debates, while the policy at home routinely makes us so ashamed.

 Conectas – How much influence do the decisions taken at UNGASS have on national drug policies?

G.E. – UNGASS is at the same time the result of the changes that have been occurring around the world and the foundation for new changes that will occur. The discussions in which all UN member states have participated for so many years are reflected in the public policies of these countries, which incorporate many of the new ideas they hear there. Although the UNGASS final document has little executive power on the policies of countries, i.e. it is not binding on them, it can and will be used in internal political discussions as a way of legitimizing new policies for drugs and, just as the war on drugs policy has been incorporated by so many countries over the years, we hope that countries will now adopt policies that are fairer and more human.

 
Conectas – What is your assessment of Brazil’s current drug policy?

G.E. – The policy of reducing or eliminating drug consumption has been ineffective in protecting people’s health. The consumption of drugs in Brazil, despite the vast efforts and resources (financial and human) spent combating them, has not stopped growing. Meanwhile, the drug policy serves a very cruel role, which is unacceptable in a country that purports to be democratic: it legitimizes the social control by the State. The high rates of murder and incarceration for drug related crimes, which are so concentrated among black people and the poor, are proof of this undeclared role of the policy. Every time the police kill young people in the slums, the first justification invariably is that they were involved in drug trafficking. This is how society tolerates and legitimizes the selective ‘states of exception’ that exist Brazil. The fight to end the war on drugs in Brazil is also a fight for democracy and perhaps this is why it is so important right now for the country.

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In August 2015, the Supreme Court embarked on an historic judgement that could result in the decriminalization of drug possession for personal consumption in Brazil. Conectas, Sou da Paz Institute, ITTC (Land, Employment and Citizenship Institute) and Pastoral Carcerária (the Catholic Church’s prisoner outreach service) filed an amicus curie brief with the court, a document that presents the justices with independent technical opinions on the case being heard. The judgement was interrupted after Justice Edson Fachin requested an adjournment.

In the same month, the Sur Journal published its 21st issue that was entirely dedicated to the topic of drugs from a human rights perspective. The issue contains articles from leaders in the debate on the topic from various countries, such as India, Thailand, Colombia, Argentine, Brazil, the United States and Nigeria.

n another collective effort, CELS (Center for Legal and Social Studies, of Argentina), in partnership with Conectas and thirteen other organizations, published a report analyzing the impact of the war on drugs in Latin America over the past 50 years.