Análise espacial das apreensões de Cannabis sativa em um município paraibano

Abstract

Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is the most widely used illicit substance in the world. Noteworthy is the growing demand for treatment for cannabis-related disorders and the negative impact on global public health resulting from the use of this drug. In Brazil, there is a historical mismatch between drug policies from the security field and those from public health, especially the prohibitionist aspect, in which the only treatment given to the individual involved is repression. Given this, there is a need for studies that contribute to the development of policies and actions that enable the integration of these two aspects, not underestimating aspects related to health. Materials and Methods: This is a quantitative, descriptive and analytical research, with cross-sectional design, conducted from forensic reports on the seizures of Cannabis sativa in the municipality of Campina Grande, in 2017. All reports were analyzed manually, one by one, and the data tabulated in an Excel spreadsheet. Statistical analyzes were performed using R statistical software (RStudio), applying descriptive and spatial statistics. For the latter, the Global and Local Moran Index was used to assess the existence of autocorrelation. Results: Cannabis sativa was the most seized drug in the city of Campina Grande, in 2017. Seizure records made it possible to identify men, adults, young people, single and with low education as a prevalent profile among the assessed individuals. Spatial statistics indicated spatial independence profile between the neighborhoods, with the exception of a single neighborhood (Serrotão) that presented poor self-correction with its neighbors. Conclusion: Although Brazil has a set of laws, ordinances, and decrees establishing assumptions, guidelines, and objectives, the problem of illicit drug demand and supply remains. Thus, we can consider that Brazil at some point advances and may, at others, go backwards. In the new national drug policy the focus shifts from harm reduction to abstinence. Cannabis sativa is still a widely seized drug worldwide, a situation similarly observed in the city of Campina Grande. The profile of individuals, probably seized, is related to more vulnerable social conditions, and seizures occur in the city's neighborhoods at random.