Brazil poised to pass harsh, rights-violating drug law

By Joseph Bateman

Despite increasing regional debate in Latin America on drug policy reforms, Brazil is at risk of sliding backwards and is poised to enact even harsher, rights-violating drug policies. On Wednesday, May 22, the Brazilian House of Representatives passed a law that alters many significant portions of Brazil’s 2006 drug law. Among the changes are an increase in the minimum mandatory sentence for drug traffickers from five to eight years in prison; mandatory treatment for problematic drug users (with permission from family or authorization from a medical professional); and federal funding for “therapeutic” treatment centers, which are privately run, often religious, treatment facilities. These centers have little oversight and have been criticized for using unscientific methods and lacking proper medical staff. The law is now awaiting vote in the Brazilian Senate, and will likely pass.

Despite being fairly unpopular with members of Congress from the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT), the political party of President Dilma Rousseff, it is unlikely that she will veto the law if it is passed by the Senate. The new law simply codifies the direction in which her administration was already heading. Moves to increase federal funding for “therapeutic” treatment centers have received vigorous support from her administration (and members of Congress who own the centers), even though such funding has faced significant opposition from the PT in Congress and social groups that have traditionally supported the PT.

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