[The political uses of prohibitionist "science:" The case of cannabis and psychedelics].

Summary

The article critiques how prohibitionist policies use science to support their political and moral agendas, particularly regarding cannabis and psychedelics. It argues that such policies often ignore scientific findings that contradict their beliefs. The authors advocate for drug policies grounded in scientific evidence and core values like public health and Human Rights, emphasizing the need to examine the power dynamics between science and drug policy.

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Abstract

This article analyzes the use of science as a political tool in prohibitionist logic, adopting an externalist perspective. Prohibitionism strives to have its political-moral precepts be considered scientific, that is, the result of an ideologically neutral research process. The article analyzes the case of cannabis and psychedelics to show how prohibitionism has only resorted to "science" to hide its political-moral agenda, while ignoring the results of scientific research that did not fit its apriorisms. Finally, we argue that drug policies should be based on scientific evidence and on certain basic values - the defense of public health, social cohesion, Human Rights - such that an analysis in terms of power relations would allow us to better understand the contradictory relationships between science and drug policies.

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