Carl Hart Debates Drug Policy with Brazilian Youth Collective at São Paulo Event

Hundreds gathered at Aparelha Luzia in central São Paulo on September 13 for the launch of Movimentos, a collective created by youth from Brazil's peripheries and favelas to discuss drug policy. The group presented a policy guidelines booklet and hosted a debate featuring American neuroscientist Carl Hart, a Columbia University professor and author of "High Price," alongside Thiago Vinícius from Agência Solano Trindade. Hart, the first Black professor in his field at Columbia, critiqued Brazil's failure to address poverty and education, arguing the drug war is a tool for social exclusion targeting poor Black populations. He cited research showing alcohol, though legal, is the most dangerous drug, with 8,000 annual drug-related deaths in Brazil between 2006-2008, 96% caused by legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. Hart referenced his New York crack user experiment, which demonstrated rational decision-making, countering stigmatized views of addiction. Thiago Vinícius discussed his brother's murder after involvement in crime, linking the drug war to economic deprivation, and described creating the Solano social currency accepted in over 100 local businesses. The event, moderated by Nathália Oliveira of Iniciativa Negra por uma Nova Política de Drogas, emphasized decentralizing the drug policy debate to include those most affected. Aristênio Gomes, a Movimentos participant from Maré, stated the collective aims to amplify favela voices excluded from policy discussions.