brazil

Brazil Supreme Court Decriminalizes Cannabis, an Uneasy Victory

Brazil’s Supreme Court has voted to decriminalize marijuana for personal use, nearly a decade after  the historic trial had its…

July 2, 2024

Brazil Extends Rio Drug Interdiction Op, Despite No “Success”

One of the last significant acts by Flavio Dino as Brazil’s minister of justice, before President Lula appointed him to…

December 12, 2023

Brazil Supreme Court Delays Drug Decrim Trial, as Pressure Mounts

After an eight-year delay and a series of postponements in 2023, Brazil's Supreme Court continues to avoid ruling on the…

June 23, 2023

São Paulo Begins Ominous Inquiry Into Disproven “Crack Epidemic”

In 2016, the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo held a parliamentary inquiry to investigate what they referred to as a…

June 2, 2023

From São Paulo, a Wave of Medical Cannabis Reform Across Brazil

On 4/20, São Paulo State Deputy Caio França (Socialist Party) filed a bill that that would authorize domestic cannabis cultivation…

May 4, 2023

Lula Reinstates “Civil Society” to Brazil’s Drug Policy Council

In 2019, then-President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree that barred civil society representatives from participating in Brazil's National Council on…

April 19, 2023

Brazil Promises “Evidence-Based” Drug Policy, a Term That’s Lost All Meaning

In March, at Session 66 of the United Nations' Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the delegation from Brazil vowed to take…

April 6, 2023

Public Outcry Forces Brazil to Pause Drastic Medical Cannabis Restrictions

In a month of political whiplash for Brazil’s battle over medical marijuana access, public outcry has delayed regulators' bid to…

December 1, 2022

Lula Inherits Legacy of Bolsonaro’s Drug Policy Harms—and His Own

On November 1, President Jair Bolsonaro gave a brief speech in which he did not acknowledge his defeat in Brazil’s…

November 2, 2022

Brazil Harm Reduction Faces an Uphill Battle, Even If Bolsonaro Is Ousted

Many people, myself included, were sure that President Jair Bolsonaro’s misrule would end in Brazil's first round of elections, held…

October 13, 2022