The emerging discourse of antiprohibitionism: a critical discourse analysis of Carta de Princípios da Articulação Nacional de Marchas da Maconha

Abstract

Antiprohibitionism is the political field that opposes the prohibition of drugs and the profiling of their users.We understand drug prohibitionism as a form of domination of marginalized groups, especially in the Global South, and antiprohibitionism as an emerging discourse, coming from a cultural hibridism between dominant structures and insurgent practices and beliefs. The present article aims to analyse how antiprohibitionism defines and articulates itself, by critically analysing the discourse of “Carta de Princípios da Articulação Nacional de Marchas da Maconha”. Especifically, we analyse the use of persons of speech and verbal processes in that document as to understand how its authors identify themselves, represent their political ground and propose actions. We hope by that to help describing what is antiprohibitionism and to raise critical discourse awareness inside that field, thus helping to conciliate decolonial critique and the social struggles. The textual analysis showed an attempt of the social movement Articulação Nacional de Marchas da Maconha to estabilish itself publically as an anticapitalist movement and to associate itself to numerous antissistemic causes. The intertexual analysis showed as well the dialogue of the document with the Marijuana Marches and hybridization of the text as a product of an insurgent practice constrained by a capitalist structure. The emerging discourse is a way of resisting domination that rearticulates dominant and insurgent discourses as to create hybrid texts that materialize social tensions.