Controversy Surrounding the Involuntary Commitment of Crack Cocaine Users

Abstract

This article’s objective is to map the controversy surrounding the involuntary commitment of drug users in Brazil, especially among crack cocaine users. The research is based on media reports, legislation, and on the regulation and norms created by public agencies between 1998 and 2012. Because of its scope, the research presents a general vision of the diverse actors participating in public debate regarding drug use and commitment, in addition to the processes through which this controversy takes hold, the crisis that these processes aim to suppress, and the situations that considered to present considerable risk. As a result of this controversy, both a Program and an Anti-Program have taken root: respectively, these refer to the large-scale commitment of crack users; or, on the contrary, harm-reduction measures that limit commitment to a significantly reduced role. We conclude that the widespread idea of the crack cocaine epidemic has made the country aware that we are all at risk; and political practice of ruling out of the rules.