The Rampant Rise in Drug Abuse

The Rampant Rise in Drug Abuse

Throughout the streets of South Africa, middle schoolers already hooked on life-threatening drugs run rampant. The incessant spread of life threatening drugs around the nation is putting citizens at a high risk of death. Over fifteen percent of the country’s population has a severe drug problem, and the number of those affected is continually rising. In 1995, it was reported that there were over 120 drug syndicates in South Africa; now there are over 500 of them (FA News). South Africa’s youth is being truly affected by this issue – because drugs and alcohol are easily encountered, children feel pressured to start using them. Drug abuse is a growing issue that will have a large impact on the future of South Africa.

Studies show that one in two school children have already experimented with drugs by the age of twelve (Alex News). When asked, dealers reply that they lurk around school campuses to attract new buyers, handing out free drugs to children who later get addicted. Once hooked, these children feel psychologically and psychically forced to return, where they pay full price. (About Drugs). The drug abuse in South Africa is so common that now the drug dealers do not fear law enforcement, so dealers never feel at risk when approaching kids at school. Furthermore, drug abuse is often linked to delinquency. While there is no proof that drug abuse causes delinquent behavior, it is clear that they are connected. South African Police Service indicate that drug abuse accounts for 60 percent of all crimes (South Africa Info). As South Africa’s drug usage grows, so does its crime rates.

All of the illegal profits derived from the constant drug trafficking affects the interest and exchange rates of the country of South Africa, damaging their economic state and development. Companies who would sell legal and safe versions of these drugs are put out of business, therefore killing off the job opportunities. Furthermore, drug addicts are often fired because they indulge in illegal drugs (FA News). Substance abuse has brought about threatening unemployment, which is estimated to be around 50% of the population. Unemployment rates continue to rise every day, putting many families and their children in danger of being homeless and becoming increasingly prone to being exposed to drugs at younger ages.

It seems that the incessant spread of drugs is creating a problematic environment for children and adults to live in. The need to purchase more illegal substances result in an unstable economy, which forces companies to pare down.This widespread unemployment leads to young children living in a disorderly state, which cycles back to young children being exposed to substances at an alarmingly young age. South Africa has made many efforts to try and prevent this cycle for future generations. Communities in South Africa have made conscious efforts to raise awareness of this issue by organizing organizations that teach children about the consequences of substance abuse and what issues it lead to. Many communities have led “youth months”, which are comprised of community efforts to raise awareness for the continuous spread of illegal drugs (South Africa Info). At this point, the choice to end drug use is all up to the children of South Africa.

Works Cited

"Drug Abuse Destroys Alex' Youth." Alex News. N.p., 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2016. Written by Leheso Manala from Alex News – serving as the voice of the community for the past eight years – this article explores how drug abuse has affected the youth of Alexandra. Journalist Manala discusses its consequences on Alexandra’s future generation, as well as the big picture and how drug and alcohol abuse will lead to serious issues for South Africa as a whole. Reader can gain a better understanding on the current statistics of the city’s drug usage. The article also explains what the government and local clinics and centers are doing in order to prevent the spread of these problems – the opening of more and more rehabilitation centers and helplines allow people to recieve the help that they need so desperately.

"Drug Abuse Is Damaging South Africa's Youth." Fanewscoza RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016. Principal officer of Fedhealth himself, Peter Jordan, discusses the prevalence of drug abuse in the country of South Africa. He suggests that the continuation of the spread of drugs is causing damage to the country’s youth. Jordan believes that kids are most likely to be affected by drugs due to their influences at home or at school; peer pressure among students as well as the constant availability of drugs around them push them to get buy and then get hooked. Pointing out the patterns between the lines that are crossed once affected by drugs, he leads to the conclusion that the majority of cases end up having a linkage to delinquency. Thus Peter Jordan concludes that crime rates and violence increase because of drug abuse, creating more corruption for the country of South Africa.

"Drug Wars - About Drugs." Drug Wars - About Drugs. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016. In an informative article about the use of heroin on a site about drug awareness, there is an explanation about the composition as well as the effects of heroin. Saying that heroin had suddenly entered and secured a tight hold in the South African drug market in the eighties, one can understand the impact that the drug was able to make on the country and its people. Highly addictive and sold at surprisingly low prices, many were able to get their hands on the product thus allowing an abundance of the population to get hooked and support drug businesses and trafficking in order to continuously get their goods. Dealers feel comfortable selling around schools, pushing many young children to experiment with the drug – dealers distribute for free at first, get them hooked, and then have them come back for more and pay a higher price.

"Drug Wars - Dagga." Drug Wars - Dagga. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016. In an informative article about the use of mandrax on a site about drug awareness, there is an explanation about its composition as well as its effects on the users. South Africa is the largest abuser of mandrax in the entire world. Mandrax has many risks and is a dangerous drug to experiment with; life threatening in many cases. Many who abuse mandrax develop a physical dependency. This leads to an increase in burglaries because many users don't have the money to keep purchasing the drug, yet in desperate need of doses they turn to corrupt actions such as robbery. Thus it’s clear that drug abuse does lead to delinquency.

"Facts About the Effects and Causes of Drug Abuse in South Africa." Welcome to Harmony! N.p., 01 Aug. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2016. An extensive article discussing the effects and causes of drug abuse in the country of South Africa written by Karen Thomson explains the true impact that drugs can have on a country’s population and youth. She makes many connections between the incessant rise in drug use and the increase of crime in the country. She points out that as long as majority of people abuse drugs and alcohol, crime rates will continue to rise, thus creating a more and more violent society to live in. The article also raises awareness of the fact that drug deals feel untouchable in the sense that it is widely known in South Africa that authorities will in no way make efforts to impose punishment by law, therefore leading them to continue with their businesses, only allowing the drugs to spread to a larger and larger demographic, encouraging more to use and thus abuse.

"SouthAfrica.info." Keeping South Africa's Youth Drug-free. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2016. The website, SouthAfrica.info, is the site for Brand South Africa. It possesses a Media Club South Africa – Brand South Africa’s media resource for journalists. They publish new stories every day, discussing current issues and topics in their country of South Africa. This article talks about youth month, explaining its purpose and what it does for the community. The community is called to face the situation of rampant drug abuse. Youth month pushes communities to fight against the spread of drugs, possessing many benefits to the country’s youth, teaching them and inspiring them to lead a new drug-free generation.