Ecstasy (MDMA): effects and patterns of use reported by users in São Paulo

OBJECTIVE: As there are no studies about the use of ecstasy in Brazil, our aim was to identify the effects and patterns of use of this substance among users in the city of São Paulo. METHODS: Subjects were recruited through the snowball technique. Fifty-two subjects of both genders who had been using ecstasy frequently and recently were interviewed. The instrument was a self-reported and anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS: The sample's mean age was 24 years, mostly composed by single, college graduated middle-class subjects. Among the interviewed users, 61.6% used ecstasy at least once per week and 50% of them took one pill per episode of use and 46% more than one. Drug taking was usually performed in company of several people (63%) in contexts related to night leisure, such as rave parties (78.8%), dancing clubs (69.2%) and parties (53.8%). Ecstasy pills were mainly purchased from friends or acquaintances in order to favor a dancing mood in those places. Most subjects used ecstasy associated to other psychoactive drugs (93.3%), mainly Cannabis, followed by tobacco and LSD. The effects attributed to ecstasy were mainly positive. DISCUSSION: The use of ecstasy in São Paulo has had a recreational pattern quite similar to those described in previous studies. The assessment of the use of ecstasy as positive also agrees with the findings of the literature.

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The Making of the Middle-Class City: Transportation Policy in São Paulo

Environment and Planning A Economy and Space ◽

10.1068/a290293 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 293-310 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

E A Vasconcellos

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Social Reproduction ◽

Circulation Pattern ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Transportation Policy ◽

São Paulo ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Middle Classes ◽

The City

The adaptation of urban spaces to cope with increased automobile traffic has been called the ‘building of automobile cities’. This is a vague and otherwise politically naive interpretation of these important changes in capitalist societies. Cars do not run on their own and one has to ask who is behind the wheels, and for what purposes. I argue that these spatial transformations are definite economic and political undertakings related to capitalist modernization processes, in which the middle classes, as preferential partners of ruling classes, play the most important role. In these contexts, the automobile turns out to be an essential means for the reproduction of the middle classes in their pursuit of social mobility. Therefore I argue that these large transformations should instead be seen as the ‘building of middle-class cities’. This paper is about how São Paulo was transformed into a middle-class city. In it I emphasize the period from 1960 to 1980, when the city population increased from 3.6 million to 8.5 million, and 1.6 million new automobiles were put into circulation. In this period Brazil experienced a highly dynamic capitalist modernization process, with high rates of GNP growth, under authoritarian (and often repressive) political rule. New middle-class sectors were generated, supported by the concentration of income and by their ideological commitment to the new regime. The city space was physically transformed to allow for a new pattern of circulation which was directly related to the new economic activities and the new lifestyle of these middle-class sectors, for whom the automobile became a vital means of social reproduction. The middle classes were represented, inside the state, by transportation planners who promoted the ideology of modernization. The space was then reshaped in a way which favored the circulation needs of the middle class population, in its prime role of driver, rather than the needs of the majority of the population, in their primary roles of pedestrian and captive public transportation user. Moreover, the mobility and fluidity needs of these selected middle-class sectors were pursued regardless of the safety and environmental consequences of the new circulation pattern. Similar processes can be identified in the developing world where other middle-class cities have been created. In spite of social and political differences, these processes share the objective of readapting space to ease the circulation of the social sectors which are relevant to economic accumulation and political legitimation.

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Una nueva forma de vivir en el siglo XX: bungalós en la ciudad de Bauru

Procesos Urbanos ◽

10.21892/2422085x.348 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 28-38

Author(s):

Karla Di Giacomo Dias Oliveira dos Santos ◽

Nilson Ghirardelo

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Historical Context ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

São Paulo ◽

Paulo State ◽

São Paulo State ◽

Siglo Xx ◽

The City

Resumen: La arquitectura ecléctica se destacó en Brasil, en ciudades del interior paulista, debido a la presencia del café y la riqueza generada por sus plantaciones. Sin embargo, Bauru, no presentó una arquitectura ecléctica expresiva, pero posee, aún hoy, un número significativo de construcciones denominadas bungalow, que obedecían a determinados patrones arquitectónicos, formales, técnicos y constructivos, destinados a la clase media. Incluso, ante su cantidad significativa, todavía es poco estudiado por los expertos. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo distinguir esa vivienda como elemento importante en el desarrollo de la arquitectura, reconociéndola como parte del contexto histórico de la ciudad. ___Palabras clave: Bungalós, vivienda, Bauru. ___Abstract: The eclectic architecture stood out in cities of the countryside of São Paulo state in Brazil due to the presence of the coffee and the wealth generated by its plantations. Although Bauru city did not show an expressive eclectic architecture, it still has until nowadays a significant number of buildings called bungalows, which followed certain architectural, formal, technical and constructive standards for the middle class. Despite its significant amount in the city, it is not well studied by specialists yet. Thus, this work aims to highlight this housing as an important element for the development of architecture, recognizing it as part of the historical context of the city. ___Keywords: Bungalow, housing, Bauru. ___Resumo: A arquitetura eclética destacou-se, no Brasil, em cidades do interior paulista, devido à presença do café e à riqueza gerada por suas plantações. No entanto, Bauru, não apresentou uma arquitetura eclética expressiva, mas possui, ainda hoje, um número significativo de construções denominadas bangalô, que obedecia a determinados padrões arquitetônicos, formais, técnicos e construtivos, destinado à classe média. Mesmo diante de sua quantidade significativa, ainda é pouco estudado pelos especialistas. Assim, este trabalho tem como objetivo distinguir essa habitação como elemento importante no desenvolvimento da arquitetura, reconhecendo-a como parte do contexto histórico da cidade. ___Palavras – Chave: Bangalô, moradia, Bauru. ___Recibido: 26 de julio 2017. Aceptado: 5 de octubre de 2017.

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The Role of Professionals in Policy Reform: Cases from the City Level, São Paulo

Latin American Politics and Society ◽

10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014.00240.x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 56 (03) ◽

pp. 141-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Monika Dowbor ◽

Peter P. Houtzager

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Family Health ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Private Institutions ◽

São Paulo ◽

Public And Private ◽

Family Health Program ◽

New Generation ◽

The City

Abstract A new generation of social policies in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America are being read by scholars as first and foremost the result of top-down initiatives by state elites and technocrats. This article explores what role, if any, middle-class professionals have played and how this role might be framed in analytical terms. The article examines the trajectory of two of the most important new social programs that target the poor in the city of São Paulo, Brazil: the family health program PSF and Renda Mínima. It compares the city-level reform dynamics that have shaped the trajectory of the programs over 18 years. It finds that networks of reformist middle-class professionals that traverse public and private institutions played a substantial role in the creation and evolution of the new programs.

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Seasonal Variation of Suicide in the City of São Paulo, Brazil, 1996–2010

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000222 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 5-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Daniel Hideki Bando ◽

Fernando Madalena Volpe

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Pattern ◽

Total Sample ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Seasonal Patterns ◽

São Paulo ◽

Health Statistics ◽

Males And Females ◽

June July ◽

The City ◽

Over Time

Background: In light of the few reports from intertropical latitudes and their conflicting results, we aimed to replicate and update the investigation of seasonal patterns of suicide occurrences in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Data relating to male and female suicides were extracted from the Mortality Information Enhancement Program (PRO-AIM), the official health statistics of the municipality of São Paulo. Seasonality was assessed by studying distribution of suicides over time using cosinor analyses. Results: There were 6,916 registered suicides (76.7% men), with an average of 39.0 ± 7.0 observed suicides per month. For the total sample and for both sexes, cosinor analysis estimated a significant seasonal pattern. For the total sample and for males suicide peaked in November (late spring) with a trough in May–June (late autumn). For females, the estimated peak occurred in January, and the trough in June–July. Conclusions: A seasonal pattern of suicides was found for both males and females, peaking in spring/summer and dipping in fall/winter. The scarcity of reports from intertropical latitudes warrants promoting more studies in this area.

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Reaching Out to the Needy? Access to Justice and Public Attorneys’ Role in Right to Health Litigation in the City of Sao Paulo

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2165209 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Daniel Wang ◽

Octavio Luiz Motta Ferraz

Keyword(s):

Right To Health ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Access To Justice ◽

São Paulo ◽

The City ◽

The Needy

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AEROSOLS OBSERVATIONS BY AN ELASTIC LIDAR SYSTEM OVER THE CITY OF SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Journal of Aerosol Science ◽

10.1016/s0021-8502(21)00186-5 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 407-408

Author(s):

E. LANDULFO ◽

A. PAPAYANNIS ◽

A. ZANARDI DE FREITAS ◽

M.P.P.. M. JORGE ◽

N.D. VIEIRA JÚNIOR

Keyword(s):

Sao Paulo ◽

São Paulo ◽

Lidar System ◽

The City

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Urban Agriculture in São Paulo, Brazil

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116185 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6185

Author(s):

André Ruoppolo Biazoti ◽

Angélica Campos Nakamura ◽

Gustavo Nagib ◽

Vitória Oliveira Pereira de Souza Leão ◽

Giulia Giacchè ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Agriculture ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Food Chains ◽

São Paulo ◽

Sales Channels ◽

Paulo State ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers worldwide were greatly affected by disruptions in the food chain. In 2020, São Paulo city experienced most of the effects of the pandemic in Brazil, with 15,587 deaths through December 2020. Here, we describe the impacts of COVID-19 on urban agriculture (UA) in São Paulo from April to August 2020. We analyzed two governmental surveys of 2100 farmers from São Paulo state and 148 from São Paulo city and two qualitative surveys of volunteers from ten community gardens and seven urban farmers. Our data showed that 50% of the farmers were impacted by the pandemic with drops in sales, especially those that depended on intermediaries. Some farmers in the city adapted to novel sales channels, but 22% claimed that obtaining inputs became difficult. No municipal support was provided to UA in São Paulo, and pre-existing issues were exacerbated. Work on community gardens decreased, but no garden permanently closed. Post COVID-19, UA will have the challenge of maintaining local food chains established during the pandemic. Due to the increase in the price of inputs and the lack of technical assistance, governmental efforts should be implemented to support UA.

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