RE 635659
| RE 635659 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | Supreme Federal Court |
| Full case name | Recurso Extraordinário 635.659 (Francisco Benedito de Souza v. Ministério Público do Estado de São Paulo) |
| Started | 20 August 2015 |
| Court membership | |
| Judges sitting | President
Justices |
| Case opinions | |
| Decision by | Mendes |
| Concurrence | Barroso, Fachin, Moraes, Weber |
| Dissent | Marques, Mendonça, Zanin |
| Keywords | |
RE 635.659 is an ongoing case of the Supreme Court of Brazil concerning the decriminalization of drugs for personal use.[1] The case's rapporteur, Gilmar Mendes, cast the initial vote in favor of decriminalization.
The case does not concern the legality of drugs themselves, but is instead deciding on a federal-level standard procedure for future court cases regarding possession or personal use of drugs.[2][3] The sale of illicit substances will not be affected by this case and, as such, will remain illegal regardless of the decision.[2]
Background[edit]
The case concerns the constitutionality of Article 28 of the Brazilian Antidrug Law (Law 11.343/2006), which criminalizes drug possession for personal use, although the crime is penalized only with warnings, community service and educational measures, instead of prison time or fines. Additionally, current legislation does not specify what amount constitutes personal use, so an offender is uncertain if they will be charged for trafficking instead.[4]
The case was escalated to the Supreme Court after a man was caught in 2011 with 3 grams (0.11 oz) of cannabis inside a provisional detention center, and state courts sentenced him to 2 months of community service.[5][6] The public defender argued consumption didn't constitute a crime, but the recourse was denied by the state attorney, and the case was brought to the Supreme Court on the federal level.[6]
In 2015, opening the case as rapporteur, minister Gilmar Mendes cast the initial vote in favor of decriminalization of possession of drugs for personal use.[5] Subsequently, ministers Edson Fachin and Roberto Barroso voted in favor of decriminalization of possession, but only for cannabis and not any other substances.[5] Fachin proposed Congress pass legislation distinguishing personal use and trafficking; Barroso proposed 25 grams (0.88 oz) be the limit until Congress passes regulation.[5]
In 2023, the Court reached a majority vote to request objective criteria differentiating drug users and traffickers.[2] Ministers Rosa Weber and Alexandre de Moraes voted for decriminalization, with Moraes arguing for the limit of possession for personal use to fall between 25 grams (0.88 oz) and 60 grams (2.1 oz).[2] Mendes amended his vote to also restrict decriminalization to just cannabis, and adopted Moraes' limit of 25 to 60 g.[2] Cristiano Zanin voted to maintain the constitutionality of the law – and, therefore, voted against decriminalization – though he argues the Supreme Court should designate 25 g as the upper limit of possession for personal use.[2]
On 30 September 2023, Rosa Weber retired as Supreme Court minister. Flávio Dino, Weber's successor to the court, should not be able to recast a vote in this case.[1]
Voting in this case returned on 6 March 2024, with dissenting votes by ministers André Mendonça and Nunes Marques, both against decriminalization.[7] However, the voting session was again interrupted as minister Dias Toffoli requested a review of the case,[7] which postpones voting for at most 90 business days. Ministers Luiz Fux and Cármen Lúcia, alongside Toffoli, have yet to cast their votes.
High Court decision[edit]
Judiciary representation[edit]
| Supreme Court members | Ministers | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luís Roberto Barroso | 1 | 1 | |
| Nunes Marques | 1 | 1 | |
| Gilmar Mendes | 1 | 1 | |
| André Mendonça | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre de Moraes | 1 | 1 | |
| Edson Fachin | 1 | 1 | |
| Rosa Weber | 1 | 1 | |
| Cristiano Zanin | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 08 | 05 | 03 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Marques, José (1 March 2024). "STF pauta retomada de julgamento sobre descriminalização das drogas para uso pessoal". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Vivas, Fernanda (24 August 2023). "STF forma maioria para definir critério que diferencie usuário de traficante de maconha; Mendonça pede vista". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Pontes, Felipe (1 March 2024). "Barroso marca julgamento sobre porte de drogas para próxima semana". Agência Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Altino, Lucas (25 May 2023). "Saiba com que quantidade de maconha pessoas são presas por tráfico em cada estado: no Rio, 147g; no Amazonas, 20g" [Find out how much weed gets people arrested for trafficking in each state: in Rio de Janeiro, 147g; in Amazonas, 20g]. O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Vivas, Fernanda; Falcão, Márcio (2 August 2023). "STF retoma julgamento sobre porte de droga; entenda o que está em jogo". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ a b Tôrres, Lara (17 August 2023). "STF vai liberar todas as drogas para consumo próprio?". Último Segundo/iG (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ a b Vivas, Fernanda (6 March 2024). "STF tem placar de 5 a 3 para descriminalizar porte da maconha para uso pessoal; Toffoli pede vista e adia decisão". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 6 March 2024.
External links[edit]
- RE 635.659 updates on the Supreme Court's website
- Law 11.343/2006, the Brazilian Drug Law