Drug policy: what impact does it have on children and youth?

Abstract

This article reviews the national and international literature on drug policy, focusing on harm reduction strategies and their impact on the development of children and youth in Brazil. Without using statistical criteria, this paper develops an overview of the current context and discusses the trends in the literature through an exploratory analysis of production and a non-exhaustive bibliography. The results showed that state investment in public policies for the treatment and prevention of drug abuse is recent. In addition, harm reduction is still a little known and controversial strategy, especially among children and adolescents.Keywords: drug abuse; drug prevention; health policy; harm reduction; child and adolescent health. RESUMOO artigo traz uma revisão da literatura nacional e internacional referente às políticas sobre drogas, notadamente a propósito da estratégia de redução de danos, com o objetivo de situar, nesse contexto, as ações voltadas para o público infanto-juvenil em desenvolvimento no Brasil. Através de análise exploratória e não exaustiva da produção bibliográfica sobre o tema, e sem o emprego de critérios estatísticos, apresentamos um panorama da situação atual da discussão e principais tendências. Como resultados, identificamos que é muito recente o investimento do Estado em políticas públicas visando ao tratamento e prevenção do uso abusivo de drogas, especialmente quando se trata de crianças e adolescentes, e que a estratégia de redução de danos é ainda pouco conhecida e cercada por muita polêmica.Palavras-chave: prevenção do abuso de drogas; política de saúde; redução de danos; saúde da criança e do adolescente.

The place of care adolescents using psychoactive substances, according to their perspective

“…Among them, there are compulsory hospitalizations, driven by the judicial system, taking place mostly with black people (Azevedo & Souza, 2017). Such situations point to an institutional racism, which is still quite present in the network of services that should take care of children and adolescents using PAS in an integral way, but that fits them, especially those black and poor, in the profile of "delinquent" and socially dangerous, which need "care" under socio-educational measures (Passos & Lima, 2013).…”

Experiências de adolescentes em uso de crack e seus familiares com a atenção psicossocial e institucionalização

“…Within collective health, however, studies [10][11][12] emphasize the debate over adolescent crack users' care from the perspective of the Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS). In Social Psychology, publications 8,[12][13][14][15][16] place their subject matters in psychosocial care and institutionalization and problematize this issue.…”

“…On the one hand is the guiding line based on deinstitutionalization, reception, access, comprehensive care, autonomy and respect for human rights, territorial actions, with coordination between community and social and health devices, for the social inclusion of users and their families [19][20][21][22] . On the other, upheld practices of classical and moral-religious psychiatry based on moral and disciplinary treatment, with deprived freedom and incentive to abstinence of the Brazilian therapeutic communities 8,14,18,[23][24][25] . Thus, children and adolescents are not understood based on subjectivity, in the very aspects of their current phase.…”

“…However, while these challenges are part of the day-to-day care of these services, they represent advances in drug user care, since there is an attempt to overcome the drug use approach, once only seen by the legal sector, and the prohibitionist approach, for actions of prevention, health promotion, treatment and reduction of risks and damages associated with harmful consumption, with practices of reception, linkage and establishment of therapeutic groups 14,18,24,34 . Indeed, considering the scarce scientific production [10][11][12] in spite of the contributions of the experiences of these adolescents with the clinical-institutional plots of these settings, a knowledge gap is perceived, but other studies can provide scientific subsidies to the discussion on the consolidation of care in line with the needs of this population, focused on actions to reduce social and health harm.…”