The prohibitionist reason as scientific discourse

eugenics and the prohibition of cannabis in Brazil

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of eugenic science in the construction of the prohibitionist discourse on marijuana in Brazil. It highlights how scientific reasoning was mobilized to support social control practices through its racial character. Initially, the concept of drugs and the development of the prohibitionist paradigm are discussed, emphasizing its colonial and racist origins. The work then explores humanity’s long historical relationship with plants of the Cannabis genus, emphasizing their multiple uses prior to criminalization. Our analysis then focuses on the work of the physician Rodrigues Dória, whose actions in the early 20th century were instrumental in associating marijuana with Black and marginalized populations, contributing to the consolidation of a scientific discourse that reinforced social exclusion. Through a historical-epistemological approach, we question the use of reason as a universal justification for repressive practices. We emphasize that prohibitionist policies were not oriented by evidence of the harmful effects of substances, but by racist interests that remain active within our social structures and the prison system. By exploring connections between science, racism, and drug policies, we suggest the urgent need to critically revisit current scientific and educational practices, proposing new avenues of investigation on the subject in the struggle to overcome the prohibitionist paradigm.