UN Report states 300 million people used some type of drug in 2022

Synthetic drugs differ from natural ones, as they are manufactured using chemicals and tend to have greater potency. In addition, it is possible to note that their purity level can be controlled by their producers through refining processes. UN research also reveals that its production is usually faster, easier and cheaper and, therefore, it has a direct effect on the drug market.

According to a recent report by the United Nations (UN), around 300 million people used some type of drug in the year 2022. Among the different reasons for the data presented is the increase in the production of synthetic drugs — such as LSD, ecstasy, K2, amphetamines, poppers , ephedrines, among others.

One of the biggest problems associated with the increase in the manufacture and use of drugs in the world is the social and economic challenges imposed by this market, especially for the most vulnerable populations, in addition to part of the disorders developed after the use of these substances.

Prevention

Marcelo da Silveira Campos, PhD in Sociology from the University of São Paulo (USP) and adjunct professor at the Institute of Human Sciences at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), explains that the search for solutions to the issue must start from the prevention of drug use — through the use of harm reduction health policy.

The idea of ​​“combat”, which went through the 70s, 80s and 90s and is closely associated with the dictatorial period of national politics — the moment when the old Drug Law in the Country was launched , therefore, has become outdated. The professor analyzes, however, that these two fronts are present in the current Law on Drugs, enacted in 2006. “As we know, in general, the idea of ​​war on drugs has an increase in arrests. It reveals itself, in Brazil, with 30% of men and 55% of all women arrested for drugs”, he comments.

In this way, the specialist states that the idea of ​​combat does not work in the search for a solution to the problem, and it is necessary for the public administration to broaden its look at the issue. The current National System of Public Policies on Drugs ( Sisnad ) is beginning to think from a new perspective, although, according to Marcelo, it does not entirely contemplate the idea of ​​prevention. “She did not incorporate the idea of ​​prevention and even less does she apply it. All we have to do is see the number of people arrested and the number of people who are assisted in the Psychosocial Assistance Network and in the Social Assistance Network”, he analyzes.

The professor also asks who the law is applied to in the country. “We know that the upper and middle classes use and abuse drugs. They also sell these drugs, but they never go to jail for it.” Thus, it is noted that the anti-drug policy arrests and kills within the Brazilian favelas and peripheries, while distancing itself from the noble and privileged neighborhoods — that is, in theory, the law is applied to everyone, but it does not work that way in practice.

Challenges
Another important aspect that can be analyzed on the issue are the different problems associated with the national justice system. Marcelo explains that the problems begin when we think that the current drug law does not present any amount of drug possession to differentiate user from dealer. “It instituted that the differentiation between user and drug trade should be made by the social and personal circumstances of the agent”, he reports.

Thus, it is possible to note that the law does not present any objective, universal or rights-expanding criteria, but presents precisely a distinctive and hierarchical method. For this reason, the idea of ​​incorporating prevention into lateral health is not applied within the system itself.

Today, the best way to deal with the situation, according to Marcelo, could be taken through Extraordinary Appeal 635,659, which decriminalizes and makes the criminalization of drugs unconstitutional. Thus, drug use would begin to be treated as a public health issue and not as a criminal issue, which means that, in practice, it would be necessary to start a work of distinguishing the user and the dealer. In addition, it would also be important to start work on changing mindsets within the criminal justice system.

Public health

In addition to a social issue, the issue is also a public health issue. João Paulo Lotufo, coordinator of the anti-smoking project at the University Hospital of USP, explains that synthetic drugs can produce hallucinations by stimulating or depressing the central nervous system. Amphetamine, LSC and ecstasy are some examples of these substances.

“The big problem is that when you consume a drug sold out there, you can’t be sure you’re buying exactly what they say you’re selling”, warns the expert. It is also possible to note that synthetic drugs can affect the brain in different ways — varying according to the substance used.

The number of young people who consume such drugs has increased in recent years; for Lotufo, the biggest problem with this issue is the fact that the brain of these individuals is still in development, making addiction install faster. “The lack of information about the risks of drugs is real”, he concludes.