Pubdate: Thu, 16 Mar 2006
Source: Mercury, The (South Africa)
Copyright: 2006 The Mercury.
Contact:  http://www.themercury.co.za/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2940
Author: Xoliswa Zulu
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DRUG USERS STARTING AT A MUCH YOUNGER AGE

Experimentation At Schools

The school ground has become the primary place for drug  sales as an 
increasing number of young people across  the country become drug users.

In the past five years, there has been a rapid increase  in the 
patterns of alcohol and other drug use in South  Africa - and 
significantly more young patients are  being admitted to treatment 
centres for drug-related  problems.

Statistics released by the Hospital Association of  South Africa 
(Hasa) showed that there was a growing  number of patients younger 
than 20 being admitted to  treatment centres.

And, alarmingly, it was no longer unusual for children  as young as 
10 or 11 to be experimenting with drugs.

There was also an increase in the number of young  people - some as 
young as 14 - dying from  substance-abuse-related causes, the 
statistics showed.

In Durban, East London and Gauteng the average age of  Mandrax users 
was 21. Across the country, the mean age  for dagga use ranged from 19 to 21.

In the Western Cape, 42% of patients younger than 20  chose Tik 
(crystal meth) as their primary drug of  abuse.

In KwaZulu-Natal, patients younger than 20 showed an  overwhelming 
preference for dagga (50%), alcohol (25%)  and then Mandrax (20%).

Hasa spokesman Kurt Worrall-Clare said: "The mean age  of patients in 
treatment centres reveals a younger  patient profile for specific 
drugs, notably cannabis.

"Treatment and demand for dagga and Mandrax-related  problems across 
South Africa is generally higher for  people younger than 20 than for 
older patients."

Worrall-Clare said the increase in alcohol and other  drug use was 
owing to stress, peer pressure, lack of  parental guidance or 
parental ignorance and emotional  vulnerability.

But whatever the reasons for the increase in alcohol  and other drug 
use, he said the statistics were a cause  for concern.

"Compounding the increase in substance abuse is the sad  reality that 
some segments of society perceive  drug-taking to be cool, normal and 
acceptable.

"In some instances, adolescents are fragile and under  extreme 
pressure, and use drugs to prove that they're  worthy members of the 
group, and others try to buy  social acceptance."

Worrall-Clare said that stricter control of children's  cash should 
be implemented.

"With too much cash at their disposal and the freedom  to spend at 
will, some children become easy targets for  drug pushers, so much so 
that the majority of drug  sales and experimentation happens in 
school grounds,"  he said.

Forty percent of children who are admitted for  substance abuse have 
a dual diagnosis: addiction which  is the primary illness and a 
secondary or underlying  psychiatric condition such as clinical 
depression or  bipolar mood disorder.

"In these cases, rehabilitation aimed at weaning the addict

off the drug is only one component of the treatment.  Without 
psychiatric help to cope with their illnesses,  patients will, in 
time, simply revert to their  addiction," said Worrall-Clare.

Claire Savage, Senior Information Officer at the South  African 
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency  centre, said they had seen 
a growing trend of younger  patients being admitted for rehabilitation.

"In the 2004 and 2005 period, more than 30% of our  patients were 
under the age of 20. It is very  disturbing and there has been a 
definite shift in the  age when drug use starts.

"The younger people are physiologically and  psychologically 
vulnerable to drug use. The problem is  that their bodies are less 
capable of handling the  impact."

She attributed the increase in drug usage to peer  pressure and said 
societal attitudes and behaviours  needed to change.

"We need to have an attitude change and respect for the  law. We need 
to respect the law - it's seen as  preventing you from having fun, 
but it's there to  protect you."

Police spokesman Bala Naidoo said although the SAPS had  not done 
formal research on which age groups were  abusing drugs and alcohol, 
from personal experience  they had noticed that young people were 
increasingly  turning to drugs.

He said: "What is important is that there have been  more drug busts 
in the city over the past months, and  the availability is becoming 
depleted. The dealers as  well as the runners are being arrested, and 
there has  been an increase in arrests lately."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom