Abstract

LABIANO, Virginia. State Styles of Illegal Drug Regulation in South America. Rev. mex. cienc. polít. soc [online]. 2020, vol.65, n.240, pp.89-118.  Epub Feb 28, 2021. ISSN 0185-1918.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fcpys.2448492xe.2020.240.67073.

A key element in state-society relations is the way states regulate individual behavior through different types of sanctions; for example, the way states try to modify citizens’ behavior towards illegal drugs. Based on the conceptual framework proposed by Knill, Adam and Hurka (2015) for the analysis of morality policies in Europe, this paper explores the different state regulation styles of illegal drugs in South America. Observing the consistency between the legal limits imposed on certain behaviors and the consequences they imply for citizens who decide not to comply with said limits, these authors propose a classification of four styles of regulation: authority, lenient authority, punitive permissiveness, and permissiveness. The current legislation in the subcontinent is used to compare the different measures that the states impose on possession of illegal drugs and the sanctions that they entail. Although this is a descriptive work, it allows us to see that in South America severe laws prevail in relation to this practice. The paper contributes to the study of styles of regulation by focusing on another geographic region.

Keywords : styles of regulation; drug possession; South America.