Drugs: Police confirm they do not repress marijuana users! Check it out!

Diamba, bagulho, bengue, birra, diamba, dirígio or dirijo, erva, fuminho, fumo, fumo-de-angola, manga-rosa, massa, mato, pango, riamba, tabana-gira, soruma, barunfo. The number of synonyms for marijuana given by Aurélio, apparently, is only surpassed by the number of users. Even though it is not officially legalized, the herb is increasingly becoming an integral part of shows and parties in Brasília. The police themselves admit that they do not repress users, preferring to focus actions on traffickers.

"If we remove traffickers from the streets, we will reduce drug consumption," predicts Aluísio Gonçalves, chief delegate of the Narcotics and Controlled Substances Division. Authorities at all levels prefer to turn a blind eye to herb consumption. It was like that at the first Gilberto Gil show in Brasília after he took office as minister. On Saturday night, at the Camping Show, there were few spaces where the smell of joints (marijuana cigarettes) of various sizes was not felt among the crowd of 10,000 people.

Politicians present, who lived with the clouds of smoke emanating from the crowd, remained neutral, avoiding commenting on the "liberality" of the space. Even Gil, known for controversial statements, preferred not to pay much attention to a banner demanding Minister Gil, fight for legalization. "After all, the minister's area is Culture and not Justice," joked a prankster who asked not to be identified.

To further encourage consumption at the venue, the reggae night featured Andrew Tosh – son of the legendary Peter Tosh – one of the musicians who spread Jamaican culture to the world. In the small Caribbean country, Rastafari philosophy defends the use of marijuana as a form of closeness to Jah (God for adherents). With or without religion, many people at the camping joined the movement.

Security searched attendees, as usual, but not enough to prevent the consumption of less "orthodox" substances from being present. Nor enough to stop minors under 16 – the age limit for entering the event – from having their first contact with the wicked herb. Delegate Aluísio Gonçalves reveals that repression of users is not the focus of agents' actions. According to Aluísio, overt policing, carried out by the Military Police, is responsible for detaining users.

For Maria Ines Gandolfo, professor at the UnB Institute of Psychology, marijuana is no longer marginalized or repressed as before. "Marijuana has become normal. It stopped being transgression," she comments. At a party where transgressions were limited to excessive consumption, the police had little work. No fights were reported. "That's how it is, reggae on the hips and a joint on the head," said a young woman of, at most, 18 years old, but with many "trips" to recount.