SUBSTANCE ABUSE

16th February 2008

Just under the surface its shape and form not easy to distinguish, lurks a menace that falsely and evasively intends to deceive; it is the enemy, ready to ambush it’s victims.
With each new day, our society is exposed to a bouquet of potentially lethal drugs.
The youth and vulnerable are targeted by drug dealers with offers of “free” samples and easy credit, with the promise “you don’t know what you are missing until you’ve tried it!”

Dealers will accept any item as currency in exchange for drugs.
I have seen cases where a spare wheel was removed from an unsuspecting parent’s vehicle and exchanged for drugs.
Often item’s are taken from the home, cell phones, TV’s, jewelry, car batteries, and clothes off an addict including their shoes.
Or the slavery of prostitution, you name it they claim it and the deal is done!

Why so close to Home?
South Africa is a major supplier of marijuana to the widespread markets across Asia, America and Europe.
South African addicts hold the dubious record of consuming more mandrax than any other country in the world.

South Africa is reeling from the effects of being an important transit route of heroin from Asia and Afghanistan and cocaine from Latin America that is shipped to markets in North America and across Europe, we are also a convenient dumping ground for over stocked drug suppliers around the world.

The drug trade developed as an unexpected consequence following the boom in free trade after the 1994 free elections.
The unprecedented growth of international flights, accompanied by legal and illegal cross border mass movements from our Northern Neighbours escaping high unemployment, political unrest, war and famine added to our countries very high unemployment rate adding fuel to the consuming demand and supply chain feeding a ravenous drug industry.

The influx of illegal immigrants is probably reaching the 12 million mark; various estimates from unnamed sources say there are approximately 6 million illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, 4 million from Nigeria, 2 million Somalis and Ethiopians in the country.
If this guesstimate is anywhere near accurate, approximately 20% of our population is illegal! One in five people we pass in the streets are illegal aliens.
The questions is;
How do they survive?
What is the source of their income?

Open Doors into the country?

In 1997 the Department of Home Affairs reported that of South Africa’s 97 points of entry, only 17 were manned by customs, immigration and SAPS.
Thirty-three airports did not have any of these agencies to prevent the flow of Illegal immigrants and prohibited substances.
What is the case now?
Apparently not much improved!

What’s available?

Dagga: Grass, joint, “Boom” Zol, Weed, Hash, Poison.

Inhalants: Industrial & household substance – benzene, petrol, acetone, hexane, naphtha, fluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, glue, turpentine, paint, thinners, amyl nitrate, isobutyl nitrate (poppers)

Narcotics: Opium (O’s, Oupa), Heroin (Smack, Horse), Morphine (Morph, Miss Emma), Codeine, Pethidine (Peths), Wellconal (Pinks, Welkies)
Stimulant Narcotic – Methamphetamine (TIK, TUK)
Stimulant Narcotic – Khat

Ecstasy: xtc, disco biscuits Scooby snacks – (It is estimated that there are between 250 – 300 different variants of Ecstasy in the market.

Cocaine: Coke, Snow.

Crack: Rocks.

Appetite Suppressants: Obex (O’s, Obies, Yellows), Tenuate (Speed), Nobese (Nobbies), Minobese, Redupon.

Hallucinogens - LSD: Acid, California sunshine, candy, Smarties, Strawberry Fields, Green Goblins, White Lightning.
Mushrooms: Magic mushrooms.

Hypnotics: Sleeping Tablets –Barbiturates (Barbs, Downers), Amytal (Blues), Nembutal (Yellows), Seconal (Red Devices, Red Birds), Tuinal (rainbows), Veperax (Vees), Non-barbiturates; Mandrax (Mandies, Buttons, Whites) – usually crushed and mixed into Dagga and smoked.

Analgesics: AP cods, Paracetamol, Besarol, and Grandpa powders, Syndol etc.

Tranquillisers: Diazepam, e.g. Valium, Pax, Doval, etc. Oxazepam e.g. Serepax, Oxaline, Purata etc. Lorazepam e.g. Lyladorm, Noctene etc.

Some Heart-rending results of drug taking:

Theresa and meths	Theresa and Meths - 3 yrs, 5 mths later
Meths. Why? A false sense of euphoria: Invincibility Well-being Sexiness

Abscesses caused by 'cranking' (taking tik intravenously)	Dental problems caused by tik

Conclusion:

"Will you try me or not?
I can bring you more misery than words can tell,
Come take my hand, let me lead you to hell."

A poem from a Methamphetamine addict, who on release from jail, true to her story relapsed back to using the drug, it owned her.

John Preller
Fax: 041 366 1926
Cell: 084 446 7137
E-mail: jpreller[AT]telkomsa.net