To discuss the social representations of nursing technician students on the issue of drugs. A qualitative research based on the Social Representation Theory, involving 98 students, using the free association of words (FAW) technique, focal group and interviews. Data from the FAW was processed using the STATA statistical software. The identification of terms with statistical meaning guided the content analysis for other techniques, generating two theme categories. Drugs were represented as an object of destruction of the person, family and society. The image of the drug user appears linked to male gender, young, black, living in the outskirts and poor. Social representations emphasize aspects of experiences and of the social and cultural context of the students in relation to drugs, evidencing demands in the formation of these professionals for the integrality of healthcare.
Students, Nursing; Drug Users; Health