Therapeutic communities see risks in marijuana decriminalization

The imminent possibility that the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decriminalize the possession of marijuana for personal consumption has worried professionals and entities that treat chemical dependents. For the segment, a decision that withdraws any sanction from the user could accentuate the proliferation of cannabis use, especially among young people, the street population and prisoners, also affecting the family and community around this population.

The resumption of the trial is scheduled for this Thursday afternoon (17), in the plenary of the STF. So far, four of the 11 ministers have already voted for decriminalization: Gilmar Mendes, Edson Fachin, Luís Roberto Barroso and Alexandre de Moraes. The analysis began in 2015, with the votes of the first three, and was resumed on the last day 2. Rapporteur of the action, Mendes promised to adjust his vote to take into account Moraes’ proposal to set a limit quantity to differentiate users from drug dealers: in the range from 25 to 60 grams.

Whatever the volume, representatives of therapeutic communities are opposed to decriminalization. These entities, mostly linked to Christian churches or recovery clinics, have decades of experience in the work of rehabilitation of users, and foresee that, from the moment that society incorporates the idea that there would be no legal consequences for the size, there would be a state incentive for unbridled consumption.

In June, a group of 11 entities from the sector sent a series of recent studies to the STF, linked to research centers in various parts of the world, showing the adverse effects of decriminalization policies adopted in other countries. The 2022 World Drug Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the most alarming.

“The consequences of drug use can have ripple effects that hurt families, potentially across generations, as well as friends and colleagues. Drug use can endanger health and mental health and is especially harmful in early adolescence. Illicit drug markets are linked to violence and other forms of crime. Drugs can fuel and prolong conflict, and destabilizing effects as well, as social and economic costs impede development,” the document says.

Another warning came from the International Narcotics Control Board in a report published in March. The entity considers cannabis “highly addictive and susceptible to abuse” and expresses concern about the tendency of governments to adopt policies that increase consumption, with “negative effects on health and psychotic disorders”.

“The most worrying effect of cannabis legalization is the likelihood of increased use, particularly among young people, according to estimated data. In the United States, teenagers and young adults have been shown to consume significantly more marijuana in federal states where marijuana has been legalized compared to other states where recreational use remains illegal. There is also evidence that the general availability of legalized cannabis products decreases the perception of risk and the negative consequences involved in their use.

The manifestation of therapeutic communities evaluates that in Uruguay, where the legalization of use has been in force since 2013, trafficking has not decreased and homicides have increased, due to disputes over gang territories. In Sweden and the Netherlands, the growth of drug trafficking, which is still criminalized, has also led to an increase in violence, incarceration, traffic accidents, cases of mental disorders, psychiatric hospitalizations and unintentional intoxication of children due to the inadvertent use of the drug.

“In Brazil, on average, more than half of crimes against property are committed by drug users to maintain their addiction and more than half of homicides, mainly of adolescents and young people, are directly related to the dispute over space for drug trafficking. ”, says the manifestation sent to the STF.

In individual health, a Canadian study published in 2019 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama) with 23,000 teenagers. “Results showed that marijuana users (compared to non-user teens) had a 37% greater risk of developing depression in adulthood, a 50% greater chance of having suicidal thoughts in adulthood, as well as a threefold risk of attempting to suicide in adult life”, the statement also registers.

The document is signed by the leaders of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), National Confederation of Therapeutic Communities (Confenact), National Evangelical Forum for Social and Political Action (Fenasp), Social Work Nossa Senhora Glória – Fazenda da Esperança, Federation of Love- Exigente (Feae), National Council of Pastoral Councils in Brazil (Concepab), National Federation of Spirituality and Science Therapeutic Communities (Fenact), Cruz Azul in Brazil, Federation of Evangelical Therapeutic Communities in Brazil (Feteb), Youth Challenge Federation in Brazil and Paraná Federation of Associated Therapeutic Communities (Compacta).

The entities understand that it is still necessary to maintain criminalization, mainly because the user is not subject to a prison sentence, but to measures such as warning about the effects of drugs, providing services to the community and attending an educational program. They argue that Justice should be able to differentiate user from drug dealer, so that the former does not go to prison and worsens his addiction in jail and becomes involved with the heaviest crime.

This year’s Federal Budget reserved R$ 211 million in public resources to support more than 14,000 therapeutic communities, with spaces for 17,000 dependents. The problem, for them, is that a decision for decriminalization will explode the number of users who come to need support to leave chemical dependency.

“If on the one hand it is seen that there have been significant advances in the provision of free public services for drug addicts, it is also seen that there is still much to be done in the scope of the provision of these services by the public authorities”, says the document.