Transformations in the public debate about drug policy (2003-2016): an analysis of publications by the newspaper Zero Hora

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the structure and evolution of public debate on drug policy in Brazil between 2003 and 2016. To do so we analyzed 306 articles in the newspaper Zero Hora. The analysis shows significant changes in the public debate on the "drug problem" in the country in the past decade. More specifically, it shows that public debate tends to be more heterogeneous, in terms of agents and framings, than what is expressed in the current drug policy. Identifying and analyzing this heterogeneity is important for understanding the controversies and positions in dispute concerning drug policy.

drug policy; media; public debate; anti-prohibitionism; prohibitionism