El cuerpo y la ley: una visión general de un lugar para la salud en el actual enfoque prohibicionista de la drogodependencia en Brasil

Abstract

This article evaluates the Brazilian prohibitionist public policy for dealing with drug addiction and drug-related pro- blems, with a focus on whether this approach is adequate for addressing the issues surrounding drug misuse. We attempt to shed light on this topic by highlighting several aspects of drug effects on drug-addicted body systems, be- havior, and personality, as well as reviewing current neuroscientific research centered on the study of drug addiction disorders, with a particular emphasis on the motivational mechanisms underlying drug use, abuse, and withdrawal. We conclude that promoting and enforcing regulatory measures, laws, and other public health strategies aimed at combating drug addiction can only be accomplished with an understanding and acceptance that the drug severely interferes in the physical, emotional, and cognitive domains, imprisoning the subject in the uncontrolled motivation that drives him toward the drug. The goal of this report is to explore this ambiguity in light of the harm reduction proposal for dealing with the drug addiction phenomenon. When evaluating existing public policies in the field of drug addiction, the harm reduction strategy appears to be more appropriate in the context of health promotion, especially when considering drug addicts’ idiosyncrasies.