The attribution of undesirable characteristics to a person may lead to rejection and social distance. This study aims to evaluate differences on desire for social distance related to dependents of marijuana, alcohol and cocaine, among health professionals from Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Relation between desire for social distance and the professionals socio-demographics characteristics was also availed. The results demonstrated greater social distance related to cocaine dependents and no significant difference between the scores for marijuana and alcohol dependents. Social distance judgements were not significantly correlated to any socio-demographics characteristics but "professional level", that correlated with "dependent of alcohol" scores. Studying social distances may contribute to the implementation of strategies that may lead to services improvement.
social distance; substance dependence; stigmatization
