BRAZIL: Drug Use Still Low Compared to Industrialised Countries

By Mario Osava Reprint | | Print |

Mario Osava

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 20 2002 (IPS) - Consumption of cocaine and marijuana in Brazil is much lower than in industrialised countries, according to a survey whose results were reported in Brasilia at the start of the Fourth National Anti-Drugs Week.

Only 2.3 percent of 8,600 people surveyed in 107 cities said they had tried cocaine, far below an estimated 11 percent in the United States, and lower than the European average of three percent, said the president’s chief security adviser, General Alberto Cardoso.

The survey, carried out by the Brazilian Centre of Information on Psychotropic Drugs at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, was commissioned by the National Anti-Drug Secretariat, the government agency that coordinates prevention and the fight against the drug trade.

The first national survey on drug use also found that just 6.9 percent of respondents had smoked marijuana – compared to 34.2 percent in the United States, 22.2 percent in Spain and 16.5 percent in Chile, said General Cardoso.

Pointing to these statistics, the official said the situation was “not alarming” in Brazil, and that society is winning the war against drug trafficking, while drug consumption is actually dropping in some parts of the country.

Nevertheless, Brazil is notorious for its drug-related violence, and President Fernando Henrique Cardoso called for “zero tolerance” against organised crime, stating that even though the statistics might show that Brazil does not compare unfavourably to developed countries, there are still too many drug users in this country of 170 million.

The results of the poll released Wednesday also showed that one percent of those interviewed said they regularly smoked marijuana – in other words, 1.7 million people nationwide, said President Cardoso.

But the survey results indicated that legal drugs are the biggest problem, since 11.2 percent of respondents said they were dependent on alcohol and nine percent said they were addicted to smoking cigarettes.

At the inauguration of the national drug awareness week, a government initiative aimed at raising public awareness and mobilising society against drugs, certificates were awarded to public figures and institutions that have made an outstanding contribution to the fight against drug abuse.

Among the participants in the ceremony was Gloria Perez, the screenwriter of the popular soap opera “The Clone”, which ended last week in Brazil with record ratings. Also present was Débora Falabella, the actress who played a drug addict in the programme.

“The Clone” dealt at length with the issue of drug abuse, with characters addicted to cocaine, and a plot interspersed with testimony by real users who successfully overcame their addictions.

That aspect of the soap opera had a strong impact on public opinion, even stronger than the main subject matter: the possible consequences – legal, emotional or ethical – of the cloning of a human being.

President Cardoso expressed his concern over recent events that have highlighted the power of organised drug gangs in the poor neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro, where journalist Tim Lopes was tortured and shot to death by drug gangs two weeks ago while covering the drug trade for the Globo television station.

Organised crime has become a “parallel power structure” in the favelas (shantytowns) of Rio de Janeiro, which are home to one million people, stressed analysts commenting on Lopes’ murder, and on the wave of shootouts that has broken out in the city over the past few weeks.

It is necessary “to contain the spread of drugs” and improve law enforcement, in a “war without quarter” against organised crime, said President Cardoso.

General Cardoso, who coordinates the state intelligence service and activities related to state security, said what was needed were harsh measures to crack down on drug traffickers, along with assistance to drug addicts, who, he emphasised, are suffering from a disease.

General Cardoso said that within “two or three generations,” the country may be in a position to legalise drugs.

But he said the population must first be educated on the damages caused by drugs, and that youngsters must be armed with the tools that enable them to make the right decisions.

Justice Minister Miguel Reale Junior stressed that efforts to combat organised crime depended on information and the identification of those who make the “big bucks” in the drug trade – the money launderers, not the small-time street dealers.