Políticas públicas sobre drogas: discursos, posições de sujeito e efeitos de poder nas estratégias de intervenção brasileiras

Abstract

The thesis aims to analyze the discourses that shape public drug policies in Brazil, focusing on the strategies of care and the power effects that produce subjects and truths in mental health. The research is based on the hypothesis that the prohibitionist movement has been strengthened, with therapeutic communities as the main treatment device, even during periods when harm reduction guidelines were still present in public policies. The method adopted was Foucault’s discourse analysis, based on official documents, including laws, government resolutions, and minutes from the National Drug Policy Council (CONAD). The research found that, from 2016 onward, there was an authoritarian and undemocratic restructuring of CONAD, resulting in the exclusion of representatives from civil society and health entities, such as the Federal Councils of Psychology and Social Work. This exclusion consolidated a prohibitionist and repressive policy, focused on the criminalization or treatment of drug users. The study also demonstrated that harm reduction policies were progressively dismantled during the Bolsonaro administration, in favor of a punitive approach centered on abstinence. Among the advances observed since 2023, the reintegration of civil society representatives into CONAD stands out, representing an effort to democratize public drug policies. Furthermore, the approval by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) of the decriminalization of drug possession for personal use marked an important milestone in the fight against the criminalization of users. In conclusion, the study reaffirms that public drug policies in Brazil are permeated by power-knowledge dynamics that produce marginalized and criminalized subject positions. The maintenance of a policy centered on the criminalization and social exclusion of substance users perpetuates social and racial inequalities. For significant change to occur, it is essential to restore the principles of public health, autonomy, and dignity through the reformulation of drug policies, returning to the harm reduction model as a central strategy for the care and social inclusion of users.