Ten years of drug policy failure in Brazil

Under the 2006 law many users have simply been prosecuted as traffickers
Human Rights Watch (US)
Sunday, August 28, 2016

brazil-prisonTen years ago this week, Brazil passed a law intended to distinguish dangerous drug traffickers from simple drug users. By replacing jail sentences for users of any illegal drug with penalties such as community service, and increasing penalties for drug trafficking, the new law aimed to reduce the number of people detained for drug possession and weaken criminal organizations that smuggle and sell drugs. None of that happened. In 2005, 9 percent of those in prison were detained on drug charges -- now it’s 28 percent, and among women, 64 percent.