Political foundations of the concepts and practices related to drugs in Brazil

Abstract

This is a theoretical reflection about the conception of the drugs problem in Brazilian public policy. This reflection was systematized on the basis of the following documents: Brazilian Drugs Policy and Brazilian Health Policy for Integral Care to Users of Alcohol and other Drugs. The objective is to show how these policies guide the actions of society and especially health services regarding users and their use of psychoactive substances in Brazil, as well as to present a scenario of the national institutions related to the public policy in this sector. In addition, it aims to highlight the main parameters that support the Health Policy for Integral Care to Users of Alcohol and other Drugs, in order to visualize the space it occupies in the national policy.