Porto Alegre, 4/23/2004 (Agência Brasil) - The Secretary of Human Rights, Nilmário Miranda, says that use of drugs should not be considered a crime. Miranda said the problem was a public health problem. "Personally, I favor the complete decriminalization of drug consumption. Nobody wants to put drunks in jail, although drinking is a cause of violence and crime, perhaps even more so than drugs. Nowadays we treat drinking and smoking as health problems. It is my opinion that drug use should be dealt with the same way," he said.

Translator:Allen Bennett