Academic Journal
Looking through the cracks: vulnerabilities and deprivation in the Brazilian open drug scenes.
| Τίτλος: | Looking through the cracks: vulnerabilities and deprivation in the Brazilian open drug scenes. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Almeida A; Programa de Computação Científica, Presidência, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, 4365 Avenida Brasil, Room 5, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA, 92182, USA. Electronic address: alexandra.almeida@fiocruz.br., Kiene SM; Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA, 92182, USA. Electronic address: skiene@sdsu.edu., Zúñiga ML; School of Social Work, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA. Electronic address: mlzuniga@sdsu.edu., Werb D; Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: dwerb@health.ucsd.edu., Bórquez A; Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA. Electronic address: aborquez@health.ucsd.edu., Bastos FI; Health Information Department, Center for Scientific and Technological Information, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: francisco.inacio.bastos@hotmail.com. |
| Πηγή: | Social science & medicine (1982) [Soc Sci Med] 2026 Aug; Vol. 402, pp. 119249. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 08. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Pergamon Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8303205 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-5347 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02779536 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Soc Sci Med Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Pergamon, c1982- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Crack Cocaine*/supply & distribution , Drug Trafficking*/statistics & numerical data , Drug Trafficking*/psychology, Brazil/epidemiology ; Cocaine-Related Disorders/epidemiology ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Anthropology, Cultural |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Cocaine use is increasing worldwide, and Brazil, located along major transatlantic trafficking routes, has experienced widespread availability of low-cost crack, which circulates predominantly in open drug scenes (ODS). ODS are public spaces where drug use, purchase, sale, and social interaction converge. While national surveys have identified these settings as central to crack use, their social, structural, and spatial characteristics remain poorly understood. This study offers a nationwide description of Brazilian ODS, providing empirical evidence that can inform targeted, context-sensitive interventions. Methods: We analyzed 3,787 ethnographic field notes from the 2014 Brazilian Crack Survey, a unique nationwide study describing the lived environments of ODS. Using Structural Topic Modeling with document-level covariates (location, weekday, and shift of observation), we identified recurring social, spatial, and behavioral patterns. Intertopic correlations guided the interpretation of broader thematic domains, and Topic Share statistics measured each topic's prevalence across scenes. Results: ODS exhibited consistent signs of structural vulnerability, including lack of infrastructure, unstable housing, drug-use patterns, and uneven law enforcement dynamics. High-prevalence topics included crack paraphernalia sharing (TS = 24.83%) and polydrug use (TS = 15.95%). Areas marked by blatant poverty (TS = 15.71%), whether related to favelas and under-bridge sites (TS = 12.64%) or a significant presence of minors trafficking or using crack (TS = 3.07%), were typical of the city outskirts. In contrast, ODS in commercial zones (TS = 14.07%) involved unhoused populations (TS = 5.13%) and a "cat-and-mouse" dynamic among dealers, people who use crack, and police (TS = 8.94%). Hidden drug use (TS = 13.36%) was associated with social stigma (TS = 7.78%) and fear of law enforcement (TS = 5.58%). Conclusion: Brazilian ODS share a foundation of structural deprivation but vary substantially in their socioterritorial configurations. Recognizing this heterogeneity is essential for designing interventions that account for how place-specific infrastructures, stigma gradients, and local regulatory dynamics shape drug-use environments. These findings provide empirical support for public health and social policies that address the diverse realities of ODS across Brazil. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.) |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Crack Cocaine) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260509 Date Completed: 20260716 Latest Revision: 20260716 |
| Update Code: | 20260716 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119249 |
| PMID: | 42105401 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-5347 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119249 |