Therapeutic Communities (TCs), private institutions for the care of people with harmful drug use that use discipline, labor therapy, religion, abstinence and social isolation as a treatment method, were inserted in a contradictory way in the Psychosocial Care Network (PCN). Since then, they have gained more and more space in public policies in the field of drugs to the point of competing for financial resources with PCN devices. Such was their expansion that they became protagonists of public drug policies in a context of setbacks in which Drug Policy was redirected towards a logic based on abstinence and a prohibitionist and hygienist discourse that is justified by the defense of life, a discourse that is in that TCs are based on. Given the significant growth of TCs, this study aimed to investigate how the insertion and expansion of TCs occurred in the Brazilian State and its impact on RAPS. For this, qualitative research was carried out through narrative review. It was found that the inclusion of TCs in PCN greatly affected one of the foundations of this network, which is the articulation between points of care to offer comprehensive mental health care. It was also observed that these institutions develop as they establish relationships between themselves, their members and associative entities. Although dispersed throughout the Brazilian territory and with different religious orientations, they maintain a similar model, operating methods and objectives. This convergence has the effect of promoting a collective identity that enables the institutional representation of TCs' interests vis-à-vis public bodies. This representation has promoted the creation of legislation that contributes to its development, financing and expansion.