Drugs and Religion in Latin America: A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

This article presents a review of the scientific literature on drugs and religion in Latin America. Although the ongoing relevance of both phenomena in the region has fostered an extensive bibliography on their points of contact, we still lack a comprehensive analysis of its main findings. Methodologically, we opted for a narrative review of articles dedicated to the empirical study of this intersection. These were compiled through searches in eight databases and repositories. The 132 articles that met the inclusion criteria were processed by reading, summary, and structured analysis. The review allowed the identification of five predominant areas of research in the literature on drugs and religion in Latin America: (1) religion and attitudes toward drugs, concerning how religious beliefs shape opinions and behaviors regarding drugs; (2) religious drug use, regarding the ceremonial consumption of psychoactive substances; (3) religion and drug policy, alluding to religious participation in political discussions and state interventions on drugs; (4) religion and drug treatment, referring to the therapeutic responses that religion offers to problematic drug use; and (5) religion and drug trafficking, which focuses on the religious presence in illicit drug markets. With its results, the study seeks to contribute to the consolidation of a multidisciplinary research agenda on the various links between drugs and religion.