Drugs may or may not be obtained from doctors or pharmacies. They may or may not have medicinal properties or purposes. Drugs may be extracted from plants, or they may be manufactured in a laboratory. They may be legal or illegal. They may be helpful or harmful. By this definition, penicillin is a drug, as well as heroin, toothpaste (which contains fluoride) and deodorants that contain antiperspirants.
By definition, a drug is any substance, other than food, which alters the functioning of the body and the mind.
All above information are available in the book "DRUGS; Facts, Arguments and Practical Advice" by Dr. Albu van Eeden.
Some Important South African Statistics On Drugs And Drug Abuse
South Africans consume over 5 billion litres of alcoholic beverages every year. (That is 120 litres per person)
The prevalence of risky drinking is as high as 25% in certain high risk groups.1
50% of people who die from non-natural causes, have alcohol blood levels above the legal limit. 1
Studies done in 1997 by the MRC and UCT found that of grade 8 and grade 11 students from non-private high schools: 2
50% had drunk alcohol
42% had smoked cigarettes
16% had smoked dagga
Over one third (37%) of males, and almost one fifth (19%) of females reported binge drinking during the course of two weeks. These rates of binge drinking were 4-5% higher in 1997 than in 1990.
During the first 6 months of 1998:
Alcohol and dagga abuse was increasing all over the country
In Cape Town there was an increase in crack/cocaine
In Johannesburg and Pretoria there was a widespread increase in the use of heroin.
Ecstacy and LSD were becoming more popular in Port Elizabeth.
Over 5% of sentenced prisoners in South Africa have been incarcerated for drug related offences.3
A study by the Human Sciences Research Council found that just under half of all male prisoners reported taking alcohol and/or drugs immediately before or at the time of committing the offence for which they were imprisoned. 3
The economic cost of drug abuse in South Africa is enormous. Estimates by the United Nations Drug Control Programme suggest that losses could be between R2.4 billion and R6.4 billion annually. SACENDU estimates that the drug trade in Gauteng for the first half of 1998 is in excess of R1 billion.3
Mood Altering Drugs
Mood-altering or psycho-active drugs are drugs that can affect the way a person thinks, feels, or acts. These drugs usually have physical effects as well, but what sets them apart from other drugs is that they work on the mind and the senses.
Some mood altering drugs can be used to relieve pain, to calm nervousness, or to aid sleep. Not all psycho-active drugs are prescription drugs. Some, such as nicotine and alcohol, can be purchased by almost anyone. Others, like dagga and cocaine, are illegal street drugs. Because of their mood-altering properties, psycho-active drugs are the most abused of all drugs. In the light of the above information, it is clear that some commonly used drugs such as alcohol and tobacco are actually psycho-active drugs.
Drug abuse is the use of any drug that is harmful (This excludes some undesirable but unavoidable side effects of certain medically used drugs)
The Biochemistry Of Addiction
What appears to be the common factor in all mood-altering drugs is their remarkable ability to elevate the levels of a common substance in the brain called dopamine. Brain cells are called neurons. Two nerve cells are connected by a synapse, this being the ends of two nerve cells with a gap in between. Neurotransmitters carry the message/impulse across the gap (synapse) from the end of one nerve cell (neuron) to the beginning of another. On the surface of the nerve endings are receptors. These receptors are like key holes into which only a specific key can fit. Specific neurotransmitters are like the keys that can fit into specific receptors in order to carry the message from one cell to the next.
Dopamine (see Appendix C) is such a neurotransmitter. The surge of dopamine in a drug addict's brain is what triggers a cocaine high. Where another transmitter called serotonin is associated with feelings of sadness, dopamine is associated with pleasure and elation. Dopamine can be elevated by potent pleasures that come from drugs, but also to a lesser degree by a word of praise or winning a tennis match etc. At a purely chemical level, every experience that human beings find enjoyable - whether listening to music or savouring a chocolate - amounts to little more than an explosion of dopamine in a certain area in the brain. Addicts therefore do not crave heroin or cocaine or alcohol or nicotine per se, but actually want the rush of dopamine that these drugs produce. These drugs, so to say, hijack the natural brain reward systems that control behaviour.
That is not to say that dopamine is the only chemical involved. The brain is more complex than that. Drugs modulate the activity of a variety of brain chemicals, each which intersects with many others. Among some 50 neurotransmitters discovered to date, a good half-dozen are known to play a role in addiction. Neurotransmitters underlie every thought and emotion, memory and learning. Nevertheless, it seems as if dopamine may be the common end point of all those pathways.
Once the dopamine has locked into the receptors and transferred the impulse/signal, it will either be reabsorbed into the nerve ending from which it came, or else be destroyed by an enzyme. Amphetamines stimulate dopamine-producing cells to pump out more dopamine. Cocaine keeps the levels of dopamine high at the synapses, by preventing the re-absorption of dopamine back into the cells that produced it. Nicotine, heroin and alcohol trigger a complex chemical cascade that raises dopamine levels. Another unknown chemical in cigarette smoke may extend the activity of dopamine, by blocking a mopping up enzyme that would otherwise destroy it.
Dopamine also appears to play a large role in causing the craving for drugs. The major drugs abused, whether depressants like heroin or stimulants like cocaine, mimic the structure of neurotransmitters. In this way, cocaine ties up to available binding sites on the molecules that transport dopamine through the brain. To produce any high at all, cocaine has to occupy at least 47% of these sites. The “best” results occur when it takes over 60% - 80% of the sites, effectively preventing the transporters from latching onto dopamine and removing it from the circulation.
So how does addiction come about? One explanation is that the addict's neurons, assaulted by abnormally high levels of dopamine, try to adapt to these high levels of dopamine and reduce the number of sites (receptors) to which dopamine can bind. So, in the absence of drugs, these nerve cells probably experience a shortage of dopamine. So while addicts start taking drugs to feel high, they end up taking them in order not to feel low.
A Brief Classification Of Some Drugs
1. Sedative hypnotics
These cause slowing down or depression of the central nervous system. All sedative hypnotics produce severe dependence.
Alcohol (ethyl alcohol/ethanol)
Barbiturates
Halcion
Inhalants/sniff/glue
Mandrax (methaqualone)
2. Tranquilisers
Like sedative hypnotics, they produce a feeling of calmness at lower doses, but they are much milder.
Often called “psychedelic drugs”, they cause hallucination. There are currently no medical uses for hallucinogenic drugs.
Amphetamines and methamphetamines.
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
PCP/angel dust (phencyclidine)
Psilocybin (magic mushrooms)
5. Narcotic analgesics (Opiates)
These are highly addictive pain killing drugs that may also produce a euphoric sense of well being that is often followed by drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. Some are natural drugs, which come from the opium poppy.
Codeine
Fentanyl
Heroin
Methadone
Morphine
Opium
Pethidine
Wellconal
6. Stimulants
These are drugs that excite, stimulate or speed up your nervous system.
Amphetamines
Cocaine/crack/coke
Ecstasy/XTC
Methamphetamines
Tobacco
7. Anabolic Steroids
These are a group of powerful compounds closely related to the male sex hormone testosterone.
8. Designer drugs
Illegal drugs are defined in terms of their formulae. To circumvent these legal restrictions, underground chemists modify the molecular structure of certain illegal drugs to produce analogues known as designer drugs.
Analogue hallucinogens include analogues of Amphetamines or Methamphetamines e.g. MDMA or Ecstasy.
Analogue narcotics include analogues of Fentanil or Meperidine e.g. MPTP (new heroin)
Analogues of Phencyclidine (PCP)
The Medical Facts About Drugs
1 Legalised Drugs
1.1 The medical facts about ALCOHOL
(see Appendix A)
Alcohol consumption causes a number of changes in behaviour. Even low doses significantly impair the judgement and co-ordination required to drive a car safely.
Low to moderate doses of alcohol can increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including spouse and child abuse.
Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairment in higher mental functions, severely altering a person's ability to learn and remember information. Very high doses cause respiratory depression and death.
Continued use of alcohol can lead to dependence.
Sudden cessation of alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations and convulsions. Long term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol, especially when combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and the liver.
In addition, mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give
birth to infants with foetal alcohol syndrome. These infants can suffer from mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities.
Research also indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk of becoming alcoholics, than other children are.
1.2 The medical facts about TOBACCO
(see Appendix E )
The smoking of tobacco products is the chief cause of death in our society and can be avoided.
Smokers are more likely to contract heart disease than non-smokers - some 170 000 die each year in the USA from smoking-related heart disease.
Lung, throat, oesophageal, bladder, pancreatic and kidney cancers are also more common amongst smokers. Some 30% of cancer deaths (130 000 per year) are linked to smoking.
Chronic obstructive lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis are 10 times more frequent among smokers than non-smokers.
Smoking during pregnancy also poses serious risks. Spontaneous abortion, pre-term birth, low birth weights and foetal and infant deaths are all more likely to occur if the pregnant woman is a smoker.
Cigarette smoke contains some 4000 chemicals, several of which are known cancer-causing substances.
Perhaps the most dangerous substance in tobacco smoke is nicotine. Nicotine is the substance that reinforces and strengthens the desire to smoke. Because nicotine is highly addictive, addicts find it very difficult to stop smoking. Of 1000 typical smokers, fewer that 20% succeed in stopping on the first try.
Each cigarette shortens your life by approximately 4 minutes.
2 Some illegal and other legal drugs of abuse
DAGGA/HASHISH/MARIJUANA
(Also known as Grass, boom, joint, zol, dope, skyf, weed, hash, mojat, poison, peperskyf, Manhattan silver, Akapulco gold, Poke, Sky, Durban poison etc. )
Dagga consists of the dried leaves, flowers and seeds of the plant Cannabis Sativa. The male plant has only leaves, whereas the female plant also has seeds or “heads”. The appearance resembles dried mixed herbs with colours ranging from green-grey to green-brown or even bluish or reddish.
Dagga is available as an “arm”, a “finger” (wrapped in a banana leaf), a “cob” (wrapped in a maize leaf), in a compressed block, a “brick”, or just loose in a plastic bag.
The different forms are smoked or eaten. The residue tar from the smoked product is also used, as well as the oil that is produced when the plant is boiled.
2.1 The medical facts about DAGGA/ MARIJUANA/HASHISH (CANNABIS)
(see Appendix D )
Dagga comes from the Cannabis plant.
The duration of the ‘high’ or ‘stoned’ effect lasts for 2-3 hours after smoking.
The amount of cannabis smoke inhaled when smoking dagga, is about 66% greater than tobacco smoke inhaled when smoking a cigarette. 5
People smoking dagga also inhale the smoke, on average, 33% more deeply than people smoking cigarettes. 5
Breath holding time - the time hashish smokers keep the smoke in their lungs before exhaling - is 400% longer than cigarette smokers. 5
The content of tar in hashish is 300% more than in tobacco. 5
Dagga contains more than 400 different toxic substances. The strongest intoxicating substance is THC (tetra-hydro-cannabinol). 6
In North Africa the disease called cannabism has been known for ages. Symptoms include: changes in character and conduct, negligence with food and clothing, diminished memory, diminished resistance against infections, etc.
Dagga causes more lung damage than tobacco. It contains 50% - 100% more cancer-causing substances than cigarettes of the same weight. Amongst the general population, the average age for head and neck cancer is 57 years and older. One study showed that the average age of a group of people, who had developed head and neck cancer, was 32 years old and they had the common factor of being marijuana smokers.7
The effects of cannabis on the central nervous system:
In contrast to alcohol, even tiny concentration of THC affects the brain. Dagga disrupts functions of the brain. This impairs concentration and short term memory as well as the ability to learn and perform normal tasks. The consequences are an increase in motor vehicle accidents, accidents at work, a lack of interest at work and school.8
Shortly after intake, dagga can trigger severe states of mental derangement (psychoses). Persecution anxiety, delusional perceptions, hallucinations and orientational disturbances have been experienced.9
Long term dagga use causes functional changes in the brain, especially in the structure that plays an important role in the generation of emotions (the limbic system). It also causes a state of withdrawal, apathy and indifference and social and personal stagnation.10 One study showed that after frequent use of dagga, poor progress at school was three times more common, violent fights with parents occurred twice as often, and suicide attempts increased by 20%.11
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol decreases the body’s resistance to bacteria and viruses. It therefore weakens the body's immune system, which leads to greater susceptibility to infectious diseases.12
When smoked during pregnancy, THC crosses the placental barrier, which means that it enters the blood stream of the unborn child.13 Marijuana use is correlated with decreased birth weight, smaller head circumference and disorders in mental development. It causes an increase in miscarriages, an increase in infantile deaths and leukemia. If a mother smokes dagga while breast feeding, the new-born child will also ingest THC via maternal milk.14
THC is fat-soluble and is therefore stored in fatty tissues such as the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver and reproductive organs, where it remains for weeks, whereas a single tot of alcohol is eliminated from the body within 6 hours. The half-life of THC is approximately one week and its complete elimination requires one month. This means that weekend users are never drug free. Even months after the last “joint”, sudden and unexpected states of intoxication (“flash-backs”), can occur.15
Dagga leads to changes in genetic make-up e.g. the production of abnormal sperm cells and chromosome damage. 15
Dagga tolerance develops rapidly (the ability to withstand a marked increase in dosage to obtain or maintain the initial effect). Withdrawal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sweating, tremors and sleep disturbances.16
Dagga is addictive and lowers the threshold for other drugs. The majority of heroin addicts smoke dagga first. It is accurately described as a “gateway” drug. A survey of 17 000 high school students has shown that students who have smoked dagga ten times, have a 25% chance of using cocaine, and those who have smoked dagga 100 times or more, have a 70% chance of trying cocaine.17
Former addict, Tina Cross said: “Even if they legalise cannabis tomorrow, I wouldn’t smoke it. It’s more deceptive than heroin because it is so acceptable. It’s a deception - a doorway to other drugs. I believe with my whole heart that drugs are a tool of the Devil.”
2.1.1 Reasons why people use dagga
Many people claim to use dagga in order to escape reality. However, as their dagga abuse progresses, their perception of reality becomes worse and this could make them more dependent on the drug.
Most people start using dagga when friends, brothers or sisters who use the drug, pressurise them to try it. Experimenting could feature as an excuse for some teens smoking pot, but drug counselors say that many of today’s users have problems and consequently are looking for an escape rather than a thrill. Some school pupils believe the deception that dagga will help them improve their grades, or they may think it’s “cool” because they hear about it in music, see it on TV and in movies. Other reasons for abuse may include the feeling of well-being and euphoria or for relaxation. Drugs increasingly become the all-prevailing, determining factor in their lives. Even drug addicts who do not commit criminal acts find their entire life pattern governed by their addiction.
It is therefore common for dagga smokers to think that they can work, become artistically creative or just function better after having smoked a “joint”. This is a ridiculous argument. If you don’t understand yourself and your behaviour when you are sober and your brain functions normally, it is naive to expect to be able to perform better when your mental processes have been warped by a drug. In a study, 10 pilots were given one joint of marijuana to smoke. An hour later they had to try to land, in a cockpit simulator. They missed the centre of the runway by an average of 32 feet. Four hours later they missed the centre of the runway by an average of 29 feet and the next day they missed it by an average of 24 feet.4
2.1.2 The medicinal properties of dagga
Some people have proposed the use of dagga in the treatment of certain conditions, such as glaucoma, AIDS wasting syndrome, nausea resulting from chemotherapy, spasticity from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), paraplegia and quadriplegia. They claim that dagga has valuable medicinal benefits and that it is actually more harmful to prohibit the ill from smoking it, than it is for them to use the drug.18
There is little doubt that dagga does have a certain degree of medical effect. The problem however, is the marked disadvantage crude marijuana carries with it. It is a well known fact that, (like the argument in favour of needle exchange programs) the medicinal properties of dagga, are being used as a wedge to get illegal drugs legalised. Also, smoked dagga simply has too many negative side effects to warrant its use as a drug. Robert Bonner, the Administrator of Drug Enforcement, wrote: ''Relying on the same scientific standards used to judge all other drugs, FDA experts have repeatedly rejected marijuana for medical use''. The side effects include cancer, loss of energy, general apathy, impairment of concentration, sedation and lethargy, panic attacks, flash backs and disorientation. 19
A synthetic THC has also been marketed as a drug called Dronabinol, since 1985. In this way the medicinal good that there is in dagga has already been separated from the problematic vegetable tissue of the cannabis plant. Scientific studies have shown that dagga is not preferable to this synthetic product for medicinal use. However, even this purified and tested drug is not well received because of its serious side-effects. In fact, this synthetic THC is only rated number 6 in preference among oncologists for the treatment of severe nausea, and only 9th for mild nausea. 20
Crude marijuana has more against it. Firstly, no approved drug which is smoked, exists, part of the reason being the cancer causing substances in smoked products. Daily use of one to three joints of dagga appears to cause the same lung damage and cancer risk as smoking five times as many cigarettes. 21
Concerning the use of dagga as treatment for glaucoma, Dr. Keith Green, who served on the Boards of 8 Pharmacological Journals, worked out that one would have to smoke the equivalent of six joints a day.79 A study to investigate the effects of dagga on glaucoma, found that such high doses were needed to reduce the pressure in the eyes, that it made the patients drowsy. ''Our subjects were sometimes too sleepy to permit measurement of intraocular pressures…..three hours after intoxication''. 22
The New England Journal of Medicine reported, in an article on the use of the synthetic cannabis, that the side effects included hallucinations, sedation, dizziness, dry mouth and disorientation. Although they did express the hope, that in future drugs may be developed from cannabis which could be used against vomiting but without the mind-bending effects. This however does not mean that crude dagga in itself is that hope. 23
Concerning the treatment of spasticity from Multiple Sclerosis and quadriplegia, Dr. Donald Spielberg of the department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine said, ''The use of (marijuana), especially for long term treatment….would be worse than the original disease itself''. 24
Of concern is the use of dagga for the treatment of AIDS. Studies suggest that the THC in dagga damages the immune system, making the patient even more susceptible to colds, viruses and influenza, while at the same time increasing the severity of the illnesses present in the patient. 25
The effect of this incorrect propaganda about dagga is of great concern. The youth are beginning to see dagga as a benign or even beneficial drug.
2.2 The medical facts about MANDRAX
Mandrax (methaqualone) can be obtained as light and dark blue capsules or white scored tablets. It is sometimes crushed and smoked with dagga. This is called a “White Pipe”.
It originated as a medicine when barbiturates (which were developed to treat sleeplessness, anxiety, tension, high blood pressure and convulsions) were found to produce dependence. At that stage barbiturate-like drugs such as methaqualone (Mandrax) and flurazepam were introduced as substitutes, but they too have been a cause for dependence.
The short-term effects include the slowing down of the activity of the central nervous system. Small doses relieve tension. Large doses produce staggering, blurred vision, impaired thinking, slurred speech, impaired perception of time and space, slowed reflexes and breathing and reduced sensitivity to pain.
Overdoses cause unconsciousness, coma and death. Many of the drug related deaths (excluding alcohol) are caused by barbiturates and barbiturate-like drugs. Accidental overdoses occur when children swallow pills or when adults with increased tolerance are unsure of how many to take. Use with alcohol is extremely dangerous.
The long-term effects include:
Anaemia, impairment of liver function, chronic intoxication (headache, impaired vision, slurred speech) and depression. Babies of chronic users may have difficulty in breathing and feeding, disturbed sleep patterns, sweating, irritability and fever.
Smoking chemicals obviously damages your lungs.
Regular use results in tolerance, making increased doses necessary to produce the desired effect. Since one becomes tolerant to the drug’s desirable effects more rapidly than to its harmful effects, the margin between effective and lethal doses narrows over time.
Since less tolerance develops to harmful effects rather than to desirable effects, the margin between effective doses and lethal doses gradually narrows.
Psychological dependence can occur with regular use, as can physical dependence. Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, delirium, convulsions and even death.
2.3 The medical facts about COCAINE
(see Appendix B)
The psychological dependence on cocaine is believed to be more powerful than any other known drug.
Cocaine reaches the brain within 4-7 seconds.
Cocaine is addictive and creates the desire for more: In an experiment on a group of animals that were given free access to cocaine, the animals “stopped eating, stopped procreating and only consumed cocaine”. Within a month, 90% of the animals were dead. In another study, a group of animals were even willing to submit themselves to electrical shocks in order to get cocaine.26
80% of cocaine users show defects in cerebral blood flow. Cocaine can cause cerebral infarcts (strokes). It causes tissue damage and increases the risk of brain haemorrhages. 27
Cocaine can cause sudden myocardial infarcts (heart attacks), inflammation of the heart muscles (myocarditis), heart failure, angina and blood circulation disturbances.28
Psychologically cocaine causes anxiety, panic attacks (people using cocaine are 5 times more prone to reporting panic disorders), delusional perceptions, hallucinations, impaired judgement, cognitive impairment, deterioration of personality, a tendency to commit criminal acts, irritability, depression and suicidal tendencies.29
When used during pregnancy, it affects the brain of the foetus causing cerebral infarction or strokes, cerebral haemorrhages, changes in cerebral blood flow, abnormalities of the limbs, malformation of the intestines, congenital abnormalities of the urinary tract and skull, sudden infant death etc.30
Additional costs to health and social care services are immense. During 1994 in the USA there were 375 000 “crack babies”, born to mothers who used cocaine (crack) during pregnancy or who were addicted to it. The average cost per child before they reached crèche-going age, was $40 000.31
2.4 The medical facts about the OPIATES, OPIATE DERIVATIVES AND SYNTHETIC OPIATES
Opiates damage genetic material and may result in long term retention of damaged DNA. Studies on primates, with carefully controlled environmental factors, have demonstrated that the increase in chromosome defects was not the consequence of environmental deficits such as poor nutrition or bad milieu. 32
This can affect the user’s potency: especially the immune system of the offspring.33
Some studies have shown that opiate addicts have an increased incidence of cancer e.g. bladder cancer. 33
Because of the effect of opiates on the brain of a person, disorders of the menstrual cycle are common (48 - 90%).34
Heroin destroys the addict's personality. It renders them passive and lethargic; they neglect their relationships with family, isolate themselves, and lose their sense of responsibility.35
A pregnant woman addicted to opiates has an indifferent attitude. Pregnancy is experienced as an illness. Drug addiction is considered as equally important as the pregnancy, rather than an interference.36
Babies born to mothers who use opiates during pregnancy, suffer from withdrawal syndrome in 40 - 90% of cases. 37 Methadone withdrawal can last for months and these babies usually need pharmacological treatment with opiates and/or Phenobarbital. Such babies become very jittery and develop high amplitude shaking to the extreme. Methadone babies become hyper-alert and irritable to the point of being inconsolable. They turn themselves on their stomachs and, because of the constant irritation from this movement, develop abrasions on their noses and knees.38
Heroin causes infertility, pre-term labour (15-35%) and babies that are small for their gestational age etc.39
An overdose of heroin results in death by suffocation. However an overdose cannot be calculated precisely in advance and is different in each particular person. An overdose may produce shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, coma, lung oedema and death.35
Also, the suicide rate amongst heroin addicts is higher than amongst the general population. 35
2.5 The medical facts about INHALANTS
[e.g. Glue (hydrocarbons), aerosol can propellants, amyl nitrite (poppers) etc.]
The immediate negative effects may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, coughing and sneezing, nose bleeds, fatigue, loss of co-ordination.
Amyl nitrite causes a drop in blood pressure and expansion, or dilatation, of the arteries, especially around the brain, a decrease in the oxygen flow to the inner brain, an increase in heart rate, and pressure in the eyeballs.
Finally it causes brain, liver and kidney damage, disorientation, violent behaviour, unconsciousness and death.
There is also the risk of sudden death if a user passes out with a plastic bag over his face.
High concentrations of inhalants can cause suffocation in that the vapours displace the oxygen in the lungs or they suppress the brain to the point that breathing stops.
2.6 The medical facts about DESIGNER DRUGS
Illegal drugs are defined in terms of their formulae. To circumvent these legal restrictions, underground chemists modify the molecular structure of certain illegal drugs to produce analogues known as designer drugs.
Designer drugs are drugs with high potency. These drugs can be several 100 times stronger than the drugs they are designed to imitate and as little as one dose can cause brain damage.
The narcotic analogues can cause symptoms similar to those seen in Parkinson's disease: uncontrollable tremors, drooling, impaired speech, paralysis and irreversible brain damage.
Analogues of amphetamines and methamphetamines cause nausea, blurred vision, chills or sweating, and faintness. Psychological effects include anxiety, depression and paranoia.
The analogues of phencyclidine cause illusions, hallucinations and impaired perception.
2.7 The medical facts about ECSTASY (MDMA) (Playboy, doves, dollar, superman)
Ecstasy is a designer drug. It is derived from amphetamine and is considered to be a strong stimulant. The chemical name for Ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA).
Ecstasy can lead to serious addiction. It influences nerve cells of the brain that release serotonin. (Serotonin controls sleep, depression, anxiety, appetite, sexual behaviour and emotional instability). Because of the effects of MDMA on serotonin, a user will feel tired, depressed or moody. The drug has unpredictable effects on different individuals, even if they have taken the same dosage.
Ecstasy causes heart failure, respiratory failure, liver damage, paralysis, hypertension and cerebral haemorrhage, dehydration, visual disturbances, hyperpyrexia (fever), tetanus etc.
The short-term effects begin 20 minutes to an hour after the drug has been taken and can last four to six hours. Ecstasy may cause day-after fatigue and irritability.
Use of MDMA also causes elevated blood pressure and a rise in body temperature.
Combining MDMA with alcohol or depressants can increase the possibility of negative effects, including sedation, dehydration, exhaustion, overheating, and heart failure. Combining MDMA with sedatives can lead to heart failure, coma, and death. Even in healthy young people, the combined use of these drugs have caused coma and death. There have been a number of tragic deaths of young people who took Ecstasy, which most probably caused overheating.
Ecstasy killed at least 15 young people in England in just 2 years (1993 & 1994) and caused severe toxicity in numerous patients who collapsed and became unconscious or started to convulse while dancing. By the time they were noticed and taken to emergency departments, their body temperatures had soared as high as 43.3ºC, their pulses were racing, and their blood pressures were plummeting.
Long-term effects: Research so far shows that regular Ecstasy users may become anxious and confused and their sleep patterns become disturbed. There is also evidence that Ecstasy may cause liver damage or trigger epileptic fits.
A large amount of the ecstasy available is ''home made'' and contains all kinds of dangerous impurities.
2.8 The medical facts about ANABOLIC STEROIDS
(see Appendix F )
Anabolic steroids are a group of powerful compounds closely related to the male sex hormone testosterone.
Developed in the 1930's, anabolic steroids are seldom prescribed by physicians today. Current medical uses are limited to certain kinds of anaemia, severe burns and some types of cancer.
Taken in combination with a programme of muscle building, exercise and diet, steroids may contribute to an increase in body weight and muscular strength.
When using steroids, you expose yourself to more than 70 side-effects, ranging in severity from liver cancer to acne as well as psychological side-effects. Mainly the liver and the cardiovascular and reproductive systems are affected by steroid use. In males this may include withered testicles, sterility and impotence. In females irreversible masculine traits can develop along with breast reduction and sterility. While some side effects appear quickly, others, such as heart attacks and strokes, may not show up for years.
Psychological side effects may include very aggressive behaviour known as ''roid rage'', as well as depression.
Signs of steroid use include quick muscle weight and muscle gains (when used in a weight training program); aggressiveness and combativeness; jaundice; purple or red spots on the body; swelling of feet and lower legs; trembling; unexplained darkening of the skin and persistent unpleasant or foul breath odour.
Some Arguments Regarding The Legalising/ Decriminalising Of Drugs
1 Is the taking of drugs not a private matter? Does every individual not have the right and freedom to take drugs?
A study of young dagga smokers revealed that 54% of them frequently drove vehicles after smoking cannabis, and one third of them had been involved in an accident while intoxicated with dagga. Drugs are becoming an ever-greater source of danger in traffic.
Over 50% of accidents in the workplace are drug related.41
After smoking one “joint” of dagga, the driver of a goods train in the U.S.A. went through three safety signals and crashed into an express train full of passengers, killing 16 people and injuring 270, many of whom will never be out of wheelchairs. THIS IS THE WEEKEND POT SMOKER WHO SAYS: “WHAT I DO IN MY OWN TIME IS NOBODY ELSE'S BUSINESS”. 42
Drug addiction does not only affect the addict, but destroys family relationships. Drug addicts are much less able to sustain deep relationships. The willingness to accept responsibility for their marriage and family increasingly diminishes. Parents, marriage partners, siblings and friends, and especially their own children, suffer.
Drugs cause an increase in violent crimes.
The damaging economic consequences of drug consumption also affect the entire population. The proportion of those unable to work, of people on pension and social welfare and recipients of high rate health insurance, as well as the burden of prisoners on the taxpayer, are much higher among drug addicts than among non-addicts.
Theft at work and medical benefit claims are tripled by drug abuse. 42
In the USA postal service, it was found that those employees who tested positive for illegal drugs, were 43% more often absent than the rest. 43
Fig 1: Drug laws hold down sales
Fig 2: Drug laws hold down death toll
Fig 3: Drug laws hold down costs
2 Is a repressive drug policy not responsible for the misery and the drug problem?
Drug addicts are dependent on their addictive substance and cannot therefore freely decide whether they want to live with or without drugs. Hence addicts rely on being deterred from harming themselves by third persons.
Legislation prohibiting drug abuse helps the addict to achieve a drug free life. Legislation that offers therapy as an alternative to serving a prison sentence for a criminal offense, is an opportunity for many drug addicts to turn over a new leaf. The knowledge that absconding from therapy means going to prison can increase the addict's motivation to remain under therapy. The therapeutic success of a judicially ordered measure (“therapy instead of punishment”) is as high as when they have other influences encouraging them to have therapy.
Moreover, the narcotics law is a clear message to adolescents that drug consumption is not accepted by society. The law therefore serves as a preventative measure and protects many from the misery of drugs.
Today, the drug misery is the greatest where drug policy is the least repressive. This is the result in a few Swiss-German cities, such as Zurich, where a policy of libertarianism, bordering on depravity, is allowed. Since the middle eighties their drug policies are no longer abstinence orientated. Punishment of drug consumption is diminishing. Many addicts are therefore not given the chance to receive therapy at an early stage. (In the past this frequently occurred by means of a court injunction.)
Many of the policies aimed at reducing the misery of addicts have prolonged their dependency, which in turn imprisons them in their state.
Easily accessible drug areas, for example Zurich and Bern, are lawless environments where neither the narcotics nor other laws are properly enforced. It is here in these open areas, that the undoing of many teenagers occurs. Vulnerable youngsters find other like-minded people there who draw them in and support them in their self-destructive activities. This policy has failed.
3 Will a medically controlled distribution of narcotics not at least prevent the worst consequences of drug addiction?
Any distribution of a narcotic substance will reinforce an individual's addiction. It will cause the addicts to have hardly any reason to stop consuming drugs. In authorising doctors to distribute drugs, a society signals to the addict that the goal of abstinence has been abandoned. A doctor who distributes drugs will be regarded by the addict as their source, and will no longer be seen as someone who helps them to rid themselves of drug addiction.
Politoxicomania (simultaneous addiction to different drugs) is encouraged by a drug distribution scheme, because addicts see state medical drug distribution as an additional source of supply. Also illegal dealers then switch to other substances.
The costly methadone distribution programme in Zurich has shown, that almost all recipients consumed additional drugs and practically none of them stopped taking drugs.44
As early as the 1960's experiments with medically controlled distribution of narcotics in Sweden and England led, to a huge increase in the number of drug addicts. The hope that the number of drug related deaths could be reduced by drug distribution proved to be an illusion. The fact is that the number of drug related deaths are primarily dependent on the number of drug addicts, and on the dangerous nature of the substances and not upon their legality or illegality. Therefore the Swedish and English studies were terminated or restricted. 44
Any legal drug distribution, even if carried out by a doctor, results in belittling the dangers of drugs. When drugs are trivialised, it weakens youngsters’ resistance to them.
4 Shouldn’t addicts be assisted by providing emergency sleeping shelters, street kitchens and shooting galleries?
To truly liberate an addict means to liberate him/her from drug addiction as soon as possible, by means of withdrawal and treatment, and to assist in his/her social and occupational reintegration into society. All other measures, (for instance sleeping shelters and shooting galleries, and also - often well intended - “survival aid”, such as street kitchens) actually prolongs drug addiction. Such measures support addicts on their self-destructive path to mental and physical death. Instead of “survival aid” it should be called “addiction prolongation”.45
Real help for his/her addiction must be coupled with true sympathy and social responsibility. The addict's personality and will to live becomes so weakened that he/she needs outside impetus and help to abstain. During withdrawal therapy the addict must balance out his/her personality deficits and train lost or undeveloped abilities and skills. Meaningful and necessary after-treatment consists of providing supervised accommodation, job training, an occupation and proper instruction by reliable social workers who are clearly opposed to drug use.
Even after years of dependency, drug addiction is curable, even if several attempts are necessary.
5 What about Needle Exchange Programs (NEP's): Should one not supply clean, sterile needles to drug addicts to prevent the spread of AIDS?
Our goal should be to eliminate drug abuse, not to find a cleaner, safer way of doing it. Sure, IV drug abusers put themselves at risk of contracting AIDS through sharing needles and, certainly, we want to slow the spread of AIDS, but there are better ways of doing this, rather than providing addicts with needles.
Public health risks may outweigh potential benefits of needle give away programs. Each day, more than 8,000 young people in the USA will try an illegal drug for the first time. While perhaps eight people contract HIV directly or indirectly from dirty needles every day, 352 start using heroin, and more than 4,000 die each year from heroin/morphine-related causes (the number-one drug-related cause of death). 46
Even if the spread of HIV among intravenous drug users was reduced, this action would create some undesirable effects. If we are going to demand that young people exercise personal responsibility and we say that they must suffer the consequences of their personal choices, then what are they to think when in the next breath we give formal sanction to a project that facilitates drug use?
Often the drive for government-funded needle exchange programs is used as a wedge issue to gain drug legalisation. Dr. Franziska Haller, a Swiss psychologist, pharmacist, and anti-drug activist, said that Zurich's permissive drug policy was designed to put pressure on the national government to start a nation wide heroin distribution program. She said that it was a big step toward drug legalisation - the ultimate goal of pro-drug forces.
James L. Curtis, head of the department of psychiatry, Harlem Hospital Centre, wrote that ''On the unproved assumption that these programs prevent the spread of AIDS, addicts are actively encouraged to continue to inject themselves with illegal drugs, and are exempt from arrest in areas surrounding the needle exchange program. Indeed, the addict is partially financed in continuing this self-damaging behaviour.” 60
The real question is whether the hoped-for reduction in needle transmitted HIV infection justifies sending a mixed message that will threaten to undermine the credibility of all society's other anti-drug efforts - especially those preventive education efforts aimed at dissuading young audiences from choosing to engage in drug use. Can police honestly enforce laws against people who use ‘’government issued’’ needles when the government is the very source of the tool to commit the offense? Proof of the effect of a mixed message can be found in the following results experienced in areas where NEP's were started:
1) James Curtis from the department of psychiatry, Harlem Hospital Centre, stated that ''police make no attempt to arrest addicts, even though it is still illegal to possess and inject illegal drugs. The drug dealers flock to these neighbourhoods in order to sell drugs which are openly used even in broad daylight. The sidewalks are littered with used and bloody needles, syringes and empty vials of crack cocaine''. 66
2) One newspaper reporter in Boston reported an incident which happened on November 11, 1991: A woman, having received a state-provided free needle and engaged in prostitution, overdosed in the reporter’s yard, right in front of the reporter's child. Police did nothing because the woman had an authorised needle identification card.61
3) Some NEP's have been established a few metres from schools which are in a drug free zone.
4) Most needle “exchange” programs are not exchanges at all, but are "needle give always" (since participants rarely exchange a dirty needle for a clean one) which means that the dirty needles remain on the streets. A community member in an area of New York where a NEP has been established stated: ''We've seen an increase in dirty syringes on our streets, in our school yards and in our parks…there has been a dramatic increase in the public display of injecting drugs''. She said that NEP participants fan out into the neighbourhood to buy drugs, sell drugs and steal to get money for drugs. Our local police will never be able to stop the trafficking of illegal drugs'.65
A doctor from Harlem said that ''…these programs constitute a reckless experiment with human beings, totally unregulated by research guidelines ordinarily applied to protect human subjects from potentially dangerous research''.62
The USA Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Clinton stated that they ''can find no compelling reason…to depart from existing federal policy regarding needle exchange…[it] is neither an adequate substitute for drug treatment nor a preferred means of entry into drug treatment''.63
In the words of Dr. David Williams, NEP's can raise important ethical problems because ''People can be morally compelled to support a lesser harm [drug abuse] in order to overcome a greater harm [AIDS]''.64
In March 1997 Mrs. Nancy Sosman, together with a reporter from the New York Times went to a NEP point to see how it works. Without being asked for any identification she was given 40 syringes (without surrendering old ones), alcohol swabs and cookers (metal caps for mixing drugs). She was also issued an exchange ID card exempting her from arrest and prosecution for possession of drug paraphernalia. Then she was shown how to shoot up! According to Mrs. Sosman, the needle exchange ''is little more than a wholesale distribution centre for clean needles and a social club for junkies''.
The city of Philadelphia has run a needle exchange programme since 1991. The city has between 12 000 and 23 000 IDU's (intravenous drug users). In 1997 they dispensed more than 700 000 needles at a cost of $256 000 to the taxpayer.67
City workers in Victoria City, British Columbia are demanding extra pay to clean up parks, because of the hazard created by discarded needles. The workers union said that the issue was safety. 68
Only 16% of NEP participants voluntarily enter treatment.69
Studies, which claim to have shown that NEP's cause a drop in HIV infection and no increase in drug abuse, often have serious flaws. Five recent studies exposed such flaws. Without going into the technical detail of these flaws, one could mention:
Dr Janet Lapey, a doctor who studies NEP's for Drug Watch, a world-wide anti-drug organisation, critiqued one of the most prominent studies. She said that it gives credibility to pro-NEP's studies and claims that anti-needle studies are lacking. This biased use of statistics, she says, is analogous to the tobacco companies using statisticians to support their claim that smoking does not cause cancer. She also said that it does not cite studies that measure HIV conversion rates, the only true indication of effectiveness.7
On the other hand, a study in 1996 in the Lancet, a leading medical journal, reported that injecting drug users enrolled in needle exchange programs are actually two times more likely to become infected with the AIDS virus than those not on such programs. 7
A 1997 study in the Annals of Epidemiology found that intravenous drug users contracted HIV at the same rate whether they were enrolled in a NEP or not. Contracting HIV was really associated with risk factors such as: 72
male-to-male sexual contact,
a history of syphilis,
having sex or sharing needles with a person known to be HIV infected,
high frequency of cocaine injection in shooting galleries,
sharing of drug injection equipment,
low frequency of cleaning of drug injection equipment.
A prominent study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), an independent, congressionally charted, non-government research agency admitted that '' the act of giving a needle to an IDU has a powerful symbolism that has sparked fears about the potential negative effects of NEP's''
Drug abusers need treatment, not encouragement, to continue injecting deadly drugs. Although AIDS will kill some, most will die from drug overdoses or other high risk behaviour.
NEP's do not slow illegal sales. Numerous studies have shown that, even where NEP's operate and syringes are available without prescription, intravenous (IV) drug users (IDU's) remain dependent on the black market sources for needles.73 One drug addict stated that ''shooting is not a rational act….I know what it's like to be scared of getting AIDS, but I needed to get high so bad that I didn't think about the risk".74 Recent evaluation of the Vancouver Needle Exchange Program, one of the largest in the world, showed it to be a tremendous failure. The HIV rate among participants is higher than among injecting drug users who do not participate in the program. The death rate due to illegal drugs in Vancouver has skyrocketed since 1988 - the year the programme was introduced. The highest rates of property crime in Vancouver are within two blocks of the needle giveaway program. And most important, there has been a tradeoff between needle giveaways and drug treatment.75
6 Haven’t other countries gained positive experiences from a liberal drug policy?
6.1 Holland
In order to keep 'bona-fide' coffeeshops free from criminal suppliers, the cabinet allows people to cultivate 5 cannabis plants indoors. The hash produced in Holland (so-called nederwiet) may contain 4 times the usual percentage of THC, as lamps are used to imitate the sunny climate of hash producing countries and cannabis plants are genetically manipulated. In the Annual Report 1993 of the Public Prosecutor we read: “In the Dutch tradition of innovation of cultivation-techniques aiming at the highest possible quality of (export-)products, the criminal hemp cultivators have developed a new variant of hash. Its content of THC (the active part) is far stronger than usual. Percentages of about 40% THC have already been registered in the Forensic Laboratory. The harmful effects of this variant can therefore be greater than those of some hard drugs.” The cabinet note mentions that the use of cannabis with a high THC-content can lead to overdosing and attacks of panic.
The number of shops in Amsterdam that subsist from the sale of hashish (“coffee shops”) has risen since liberalisation from 20 in 1980 to 400 in 1991 and to over 2000 in the whole of Holland.76
Holland has found itself on a slippery slope where they are pressurised to compromise on more and more issues. The state was forced to introduce regulating laws, for instance a particular age limit for the acquisition of drugs. It was then found that children and adolescents under the government determined age limit, were increasingly subjected to pressure to obtain drugs from the black market. The result is a two tier system where some are registered and others are not. Some people have now drawn the conclusion that control is inconsequential because older children can simply pass the drugs on to those under the age limit outside the coffee shop. From 1984 to 1988 the number of dagga smokers over 15 years of age doubled in Holland. From 1988 to 1992 the number of dagga smokers from 14 to 17 years doubled once again and that of 12 to 13 year olds tripled.77
Furthermore, a number of the coffee shops have been closed because, in spite of the fact that they are only supposed to be selling dagga, some were found to be dealing in hard drugs.78
Violent crime in Holland is the highest in Europe and continues to rise. 78
6.2 Switzerland
In 1988 Zurich’s Platzpitz Park was opened for free needle distribution. Up to 300 syringes were given away each day. The original plan had been to create a ''safe'' place for Zurich's own addicts. But before long, the city was flooded with foreign addicts. The number of needles exchanged grew to 12 000 per day before the park was closed in 1992.47
After the police had closed Platzpitz, thousands of addicts relocated to an abandoned railway station called ''Letten'' a mile and a half away. Here the Swiss experiment evolved into a grotesque spectacle. Needle exchange grew up to 15 000 per day.48
Letten became a war zone between drug-dealing gangs. When police tried to investigate crimes, they faced gunfire and their cars were attacked and overturned by addicts. Local police arrested a drug dealer after the fourth murder within just one month. Fellow drug dealers stormed the police station, demanding the man's release or else they would blow up the station. He was released. In February 1995 Swiss authorities closed Letten and moved the addicts to government-sponsored centres and ''shooting galleries''.47
Switzerland has the highest heroin addiction rate (30 000 addicts) and the second highest HIV infection rate in Europe.48
To address the growing problem without experiencing further ''Lettens'', the Swiss national government started giving drugs to some addicts. Nearly half of these addicts were HIV positive. They were given free drugs up to nine times a day. At night they were given heroin cigarettes to be used at home. The cost was covered by health insurance or the government.51
6.3 England
The “Liverpool model”: The number of registered drug addicts rose from 94 in 1960 to 2400 in 1968. The addicts were able to get heroin at no cost from pharmacies. However, they went out on the streets and bought even more. Illegal dealers sold heroin of higher purity and more powerful stuff than the pharmacies and the import levels doubled. Consequently, Scotland Yard had to increase its drug squad. The addicts, unemployed, engaged in criminal activity. In the face of these alarming developments the “experiment” was stopped in 1968 by the passing of an appropriate law. A reintroduction of drug distribution on a small scale in the vicinity of Liverpool did not modify these facts in any way: In 1985 a day clinic was opened in the Mersey region. Here, any drug desired, could be prescribed. The results were not long in coming:
By 1998 1718 addicts were registered in the county of Merseyside. This figure represented a ratio of 1184 addicts per million inhabitants, which is the highest rate in Great Britain. (The average number in Great Britain is about 288 addicts per million inhabitants.)
Drug related crime increased rapidly. According to Mr. O’Connel, chief of the Merseyside police drug department at that time, the Merseyside police had arrested the following numbers of drug delinquents (for dealing and possession) in the last four years:
in 1987 approximately 1600;
in 1988 approximately 2000;
in 1989 approximately 3000;
in 1990 approximately 4000.
The black market continued to exist.
Addicts’ willingness to stop taking drugs is poor, as J.A. Marks, head of the drug clinic, himself admitted: “In an area containing 100 000 inhabitants, only two make use of our withdrawal programme each year. Less than 5 patients a year undergo a stationary withdrawal although no waiting list exists. At present six (14%) have a proper job and only need to come to counseling once a month”.
Positive effects of the “Liverpool model” are often asserted, yet have never been proved. What is known though, is that the addicts’ social reintegration and working capability have proved to be minimal.
The statistics necessary to assess the success of this dubious policy are still incomplete. For instance, no complete data exists on the true number of addicts living in England’s various regions, how many of them have been tested for HIV, and how many of this number are sero-positive.
6.4 Sweden
It is known that the experiments with controlled distribution of narcotics between 1965 and 1967 led to a sharp increase in the number of addicts and to the development of a huge black market. After two years, the experiment was stopped as a result of pressure from a public greatly alarmed by a number of deaths that had occurred. Sweden has since, with considerable success, switched to a policy of resolutely combating the problem.52
6.5 Alaska
Alaska is also an example of a failed drug liberalisation policy. From 1980 to 1990 dagga consumption and possession was not a criminal offense in Alaska. During this time, dagga abuse, especially among adolescents, increased drastically. As a consequence, a public vote in 1990 repealed the decriminalisation measure. 53
7 Will legalisation not reduce the crime rate?
Even if addicts are able to acquire their narcotics legally, drug related crime would not disappear. This is because drug related crimes are not only crimes committed to finance addiction, but principally the consequence of drug consumption itself and the effect that drugs have, regardless of whether they are legal or illegal.
Narcotics break down an individual's inhibitions and induce him/her to act in a socially irresponsible manner. A drug addict often does not even shrink from robbing immediate members of his/her family. This brutalising process may even lead to an addict murdering for a very trivial reason. In 1989, for instance, newspapers in Zurich reported an incident involving drug addicts in Zurich's Platspitz (needle park) who gagged and drowned a colleague in a fight over a can of Coca-Cola. 54
Because legalisation would result in increasing numbers of people consuming increasing amounts of drugs, the crime rate would also increase, i.e. those crimes that are committed as a consequence of addiction-related mental changes and brutal behaviour. Drug-related crimes include violent acts against innocent parties, especially against women and the elderly, child abuse, vandalism, burglary etc.
Moreover, the danger presented by road users under the influence of drugs will be greater.
Even drug addicts who do not commit criminal acts find their entire life pattern governed by their addiction. Drugs increasingly become the all-prevailing, determining factor in their lives. The longer their drug addiction persists, the less they will be able to financially provide for themselves by holding down a regular job. They either become dependent on society’s welfare system, or eventually, on illegal money sources.
8 Won’t the legalisation of drugs eliminate organised crime’s involvement in drugs?
It is naive to believe that organised crime, e.g. the Mafia, would relinquish its massive drug market profits so easily. On the contrary, the drug cartels would like nothing better than to pursue their business legally, and thus undisturbed. It is precisely the much cited, usually completely distorted example of alcohol prohibition in the USA that demonstrates this. After the prohibition’s repeal in 1933, the Mafia by no means crumbled, but instead expanded its activities. (Note, in passing, that alcohol having decreased sharply during prohibition, rose, accompanied by its associated health problems, on repeal of prohibition.) 55
Organised crime controls the wholesale trade of drugs world-wide. The Mafia, for instance, would continue to make huge profits, but now on a legal basis. 55
Legalisation would relieve the drug market of certain high expenditures: bribes, middlemen and small dealers, money laundering, loss through confiscation, expensive camouflage of drugs, tortuous transport routes, the cost of keeping these secret, and so on. 56
The larger the quantities of drugs that are sold, the bigger the profit. With every change in drug policy towards the revocation of drug prohibition, more and more individuals turn to drugs, and those that are already addicted consume ever-greater amounts. Thus, the legalising of substance abuse will simply serve to absorb organised crime into the economy of the country and make their profits rocket. This deplorable development was, for instance, noticed during the 19th century, and during the last two decades. There will then be no way to effectively combat either the drug market or drug laundering. International crime will be the primary profiteers. Those that suffer the most will be the drug addicts and their families. 57
Legalising drugs would force the State to introduce regulating laws, for instance a particular age limit for the acquisition of drugs. Children and adolescents under this age limit would then be increasingly subjected to pressure from the black market. The Mafia would also simply continue to provide new and more dangerous drugs. A selection of “designer drugs” (so called “analogous substances”) has been created in order to open new black markets. A number of “analogous substances” are severely addictive and some have even more devastating effects on the body and mind than the drugs available today. They are a great deal cheaper to produce and promise even higher profits. 57
9 Can’t the controlled use of drugs be cultivated? Won’t addicts stop using drugs voluntarily, by themselves, after a limited phase of addiction?
Drugs induce addiction and it cannot be predicted how quickly each individual will become dependent. If one considers that any single intake of heroin and cocaine can lead to death, then reference to “a limited phase of addiction” is not only trivial but is also totally irresponsible.58
If the possibility of the “controlled use” of drugs is propagated, natural thresholds against drug consumption will be torn down. In particular, jeopardised youths will become seduced by the illusion that they are in control of their drug consumption. The assertion that one is in control of one’s drug use is a typical argument of addicts trying to conceal that their every thought and wish revolves around drugs. If the authorities use this argument, the state makes itself an accomplice to drug addiction, and abandons youth to the misery of the drug world. 58
The longer drug consumption continues, the greater the danger of permanent physical and emotional damage, even if the addict does finally manage to come off drugs.
10 Doesn’t everybody have their own particular addiction?
The supporters of drug liberalisation and legalisation intentionally water down the term ‘addiction’ and thus play down narcotic drugs. Those who trivialise drugs not only describe intoxication with narcotics as an addiction, but also the desire for things like Coca Cola, buttermilk, coffee, or chocolate. Addiction is also used to describe diligence, regular cleaning, athletic training or close personal relationships. This placing of a murderous drug addiction on the same level as harmless and life affirming activities constitutes a systematic confusion of terms.59
A consequence of this confusion is also that parents often no longer dare warn their children against drug consumption. They have become disorientated in their stand against drugs by the claim that everybody has their own particular addiction. 59
Narcotics cause severe addiction. Addicts are forced to repeatedly raise the dose in order to reach the desired effect. They increasingly come to neglect areas of everyday life and instead preoccupy themselves almost exclusively with their narcotic drug. Sooner or later, drug addicts become seriously impaired in their ability to think, in their physical health and in their ability to enter into relationships with other individuals. These handicaps can become so severe that addicts are no longer able to cope with daily life. 59
What is the Answer?
A study by the National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse in the USA revealed that children are much less prone to try drugs if they: attend church regularly with their parents, are taught that drug abuse is morally wrong, and eat dinner with their families six to seven nights a week. Thus, family values and moral renewal makes a significant difference.
Know the law. Marijuana is an illegal substance. Depending on where you are caught, you could face a heavy-duty fine and jail time.
According to the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act No. 140 of 1992, the police have the right to question anyone within a reasonable distance of any dagga they may find. During such a dagga bust it is up to every person present to convince the investigating officer of his or her innocence. Should the police lay charges and the magistrate find some guilty, those over the age of 18 will have criminal records - closing the door, for example, to certain professions and counting against them in others. For people under the age of 18, the picture looks dark too. Many school principals expel anyone who has been found in possession of drugs, and other schools will naturally be unwilling to accept such a person; not to mention the family strain which accompanies a Juvenile Court appearance. Do you perhaps believe that the risk of being caught is small? If so, remember that approximately 48 000 people appear in court on charges of possession of dagga every year, and they too had said: ‘There’s no way I’ll get caught’.
Play it safe. One incident of drug use could make you do something you will regret for a lifetime.
Be warned. Using drugs puts your health, education, family ties, and social life at risk.
Face your problem. Doing drugs won’t help you escape your problems; it will only create more.
Be a real friend. If you know someone with a drug problem, urge your friend to get help.
1 Twelve steps to be set free from drug addiction
1. Admit that you are powerless over the drug that your life has become unmanageable.
2. Accept and believe that Jesus Christ can restore you to sanity .
3. Make a conscious decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of the Lord Jesus Christ.
4. Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself.
5. Admit to God, to yourself and to another human being the exact nature of your wrongs. (If possible, try to find a trustworthy person who is stable and sound and will keep confidential what you've told him/her.)
6. Be entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humbly ask Christ to remove your shortcomings.
7. Make a list of all the persons you have harmed and be willing to make amends to, them all.
8. Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
9. Continue to take a personal inventory and when wrong, promptly admit it.
10.Seek, through prayer and meditation, to improve your conscious contact with God, praying only for His will for you, and the power to carry it out. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, try to carry this message to drug addicts and alcoholics and to practice these principles in all your affairs.
(Adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous.)
2 What parents can do:
2.1 Prevention is better than cure
Encourage open communication within the family.
It is vital for parents to build an open relationship with their child where the child is free to come and share experiences at school - both pleasant and unpleasant. The chances are good that your child will be confronted with the temptation to test drugs at some stage during his/her school career. It is meritable when the child has developed such a relationship with his/her parent where he/she will talk to the parent about their experiences. Such a relationship must be actively worked at. It grows with time as the child learns to both respect and trust the parent especially if the parent’s lifestyle is respectable. It does not mean that the parent must simply condone the wrong activities of the child. Create a “structure” by making a “contract” with the child: Let him/her know what is acceptable behaviour and what not. Emphasise the consequences of unacceptable behaviour.
Educate yourself on the facts about drugs.
Make sure that you know who your child’s friends are and where they “hang around”, without creating the impression that you do not trust them.
Get involved in your child’s life, not just as far as school is concerned, but also as far as sport and recreation are concerned.
Support your child and encourage self-discipline and a sense of responsibility.
Reward positive behaviour, but not with large amounts of money.
Treat your child with respect.
Avoid empty threats; they are useless and only harm communication, mutual respect and responsible behaviour.
Teach your child how to say no:
Say no. Don't argue. Don't discuss. Say no and show that you mean it
Ask questions. If unknown substances are offered, ask ''What is it?'' and ''Where did you get it?''. If a gathering is discussed ask: ''Who else is coming?'' ''Will parents be there?''.
Give reasons. ''I am doing something else tonight'' and ''My trainer says drugs will hurt my game''. Also, don't forget the oldest reason ''My parents will kill me''.
Suggest other things to do. Suggesting something else to do shows that it is the drugs that are rejected, not the friend.
Leave! When all these steps have been tried, get out of the situation immediately. Go home or go to class, join a group of friends or talk to someone else.
2.2 Signs to be on the look out for
Untidiness in a child that used to be tidy, lack of interest in things which he/she used to like, change in eating patterns, isolation and withdrawal from family activities, often being absent from home, a high “turnover” of friends, unexplained mood swings, dishonesty, lies and a drop in performance at school or at work.
However, do not rush into the matter or jump to conclusions. Make sure about your facts before you confront the child. All teenagers go through stages with changes in behaviour patterns. You should therefore not simply assume that drugs are responsible for strange behaviour.
Do not allow the fear that your image may have been harmed to keep you from doing something about the situation.
2.3 Things you can do
Get the facts about drugs - rumours are not good enough.
Deal firstly with your own disappointment and anger; make sure that you are in control when you confront the child.
Act firmly but supportively.
Show concern, love and understanding.
Listen to the child without interrupting and acknowledge his/her feelings.
Give choices.
Allow the child to accept responsibility for his/her irresponsible behaviour.
Focus on the present. If your child is using drugs something must be done immediately.
Get help - DOCTORS FOR LIFE 24 hour help line: (031) 764-0443 or 0824073929
2.4 Don’t
Act on hearsay.
Act in a rage and become hysterical, shout and start blaming left, right and centre.
Threaten the child with the police.
Promise to reward the child if he/she will stop.
Pity yourself or burst into tears.
Accuse the child’s friends or other people.
Try to determine at the beginning where the child got the drugs from.
Tell the whole world about it.
Believe the child’s promises to stop.
Testimonies of Ex-Drug Addicts
The testimony of Albertus Bodenstein
After 15 minutes sweat drops ran down my face and my heart was beating very fast. For the first time I felt completely out of control...The drug made me anxious and very scared. I tried to act normal and speak to people around me in the packed rave club. I realised that I didn't make any sense when I spoke to them, I looked around me and saw how people became aware of the terrible state that I was in. I started running around completely confused, screaming and swearing. How did I land up in such a mess?...
I was brought up in a Christian home. From when I can remember I went to church and youth camps. My mother did her best, teaching me the way of salvation and how to live a respectable life. I wanted to be a Christian, but somehow the world had such an attraction. I never surrendered everything to God, and because of my divided heart I was very unhappy, always looking for excitement and fun in life.
I had friends a few years older than me. They were very popular at school and everyone liked them. They had girlfriends and listened to all kinds of music. Those were some of the things I was never allowed to do. My mother knew what was good for me but because I didn't understand it then, I felt trapped in a cage!
When they offered me my first cigarette, I took it without thinking twice, because I liked them, and to me it was like breaking free from that cage. It felt nice to be accepted by friends, and also to be popular at school. To be accepted by people must be the strongest desire of the human nature.
My mother didn't know that I was smoking at that time, and I tried to hide it from her. That made me feel even more trapped, and that's how I started living a double life. On Sundays I went to church, and at home I pretended that everything was in order, but when I went out with my friends my true colours became obvious.
One day my mother caught me smoking. She was so upset and disappointed with me, and that realisation made me feel really bad, so much so that I wanted to change. However, because my dad also smoked, my mother couldn't really punish me.
Sometimes she searched my schoolbag, went through my cupboards, smelled my clothes, and when she found cigarettes she broke them up in pieces. She kept on doing this and fought hard against it. Eventually she accepted the fact that I was smoking, something she should never ever have done. I am convinced that had my mother kept it up she would have won the battle. There is nothing as frustrating as when your mother does things like that, and it makes you want to quit!
I matriculated in 1994, the year when the “Rave” scene came to South Africa. The first rave I went to was in Johannesburg in a massive hall. That night about 15 000 young people gathered there. It was so exciting. The music was extremely loud. Laser lights were moving across the heads of the multitudes, with all young people dressed in the latest and strangest fashions. There were lots of girls and no parents! Everyone seemed so happy, laughing and dancing non-stop to the music.
At first the music seemed so strange to me, very rhythmic, with weird sounds. I couldn't understand how people could dance to this type of music. They didn't sell any alcohol there, but the people were still enjoying it. It didn't take me long to figure out that many of them were on drugs.
I was already smoking dagga by that stage, but I was a bit afraid of the stronger chemical drugs. I went to clubs, smoked joints, and in that drugged state, while dancing, the previously weird and funny rhythms became better and better to me. They sounded so nice and clear while I was on a high. The pulsating rhythmic beats take control of one's mind and body, stirring up one's feelings and emotions like nothing I had ever known or experienced before. And so I kept going back for more.
I went out with a girl and after a year and 4 months she left me. It was terrible, she was everything to me. I felt rejected and so alone. The music and that high feeling brought relief, and my problems just seemed to disappear. The drugs and music filled that huge gap that my girlfriend had left.
One night I was discussing the music and raves with my friend and his girlfriend. He suggested that we should take LSD that night. It was so easy to say yes; I was so prepared for it. Besides, so many people take drugs, and everybody tells one how nice it is, so why not! When we got to the drug dealer's flat I was truly amazed. They had a nicely furnished flat in town, and the dealer was a very attractive young girl. I thought if this was the type of people who took drugs then it couldn't be that bad! LSD was cheap only R30 for a cap.
We took it that night and I remember, as I came off the trip, I asked my friend, “So when are we doing this again!” I was hooked straight away.
I saw drugs as a way to have good fun, and I promised myself to do this only once a month. But as I went to rave clubs on weekends, and met more people, I started taking it more often, and eventually started other drugs as well, like: Ecstasy, Speed and Cocaine all together in one night. We went to the rave's on Saturday nights. Normally it started at 10 o'clock and one would go right through till Sunday morning. I would get so exhausted from all the dancing that I needed more drugs to boost my energy and to increase and enhance the feeling. There is nothing as frustrating as to stand around and watch everybody else enjoying themselves while you can't because you’re coming off the trip. So you end up buying another. Some girls even sell their bodies at the raves just for one pill. After they play the last song of the rave, everyone gets into their cars and drives to the club where the after-party is held. There they go on ‘til six at night and finally go home exhausted and completely emptied physically and spiritually. Someone once told me that one never mixes religion and drugs.
One night I took an LSD cap at a rave club. It was very fresh and extremely strong. I tried to control the drug in my body but I couldn't, it was just too strong for me. I couldn't relax either my body or my mind, it was busy taking over. So many thoughts and emotions flooded my being and I became terrified and scared not knowing what was going on! The more I tried to relax the more anxious I became. I went to the dance floor and started dancing, hoping it would stop and go away. But the music and the people scared me. I was so conscious of something very Evil around me. I ran out of the club trying to escape from this horror. A few ravers stood at their car listening to music and I went straight to them, desperately asking for help. They tried to calm me down and gave me something to smoke.
They said that it would help me to calm down. - It didn't. It picked me up so high that in my mind I felt and believed that I was God, I ran around outside the club screaming uncontrollably like a mad man. I swore and scared all the people around me, until the bouncers came and threw me on the ground, holding me very tight. My muscles started to convulse uncontrollably and I could feel how I was literally suffocating. It felt as if I was squeezing all the life out of myself. It was the scariest and most horrifying experience I ever had. It's so difficult to explain it in words, but one thing that I can remember so clearly was that there was a fight for my soul between Light and Darkness. That night I mixed religion with drugs, and the reality of my lost state drove me insane. I was all alone, no friends around me. A few people raced me to the hospital where I finally passed out.
After that I decided to quit taking drugs. One's friends always tell one how nice drugs are but never ever did a real friend warn me that something like this could happen. I consider myself very lucky. Some people die like that, or land up in mental institutions. I was so embarrassed about what had happened and tried to get an explanation for everything. I was so conscious of the bad things that I have experienced and what happened to me, and I tried to forget everything, but it stayed there; grinding and reminding me wherever I went.
The music reminded me of the good times I once had, I wanted to forget about the past and prove to myself that everything could be the same again. That pulled me right back. Soon I was taking drugs again, going to the clubs, but this time it was different. I just couldn't get the same fun, excitement and enjoyment out of it anymore, because memories of my past kept coming back, so in an attempt to escape it, I took more and more.
I lost my job and could no longer pay for my drugs. I was a slave of these things and I did anything possible to get hold of it. I made small-time drug deals at clubs, and realised that I could make lots of money, but I was afraid of getting caught. I forged my parents cheques, sold my clothes as well as theirs, and when I didn’t have any money I sucked glue and petrol to get that nice high feeling once again.
When I sucked glue it burned my lungs and I coughed heavily. I knew that I was busy destroying myself but I just couldn't stop! One day I looked at the packet of glue in my hands asking myself what I was busy with and how stupid and foolish I had become. I decided that it was going to stop right then!
I took the packet and flung it against the wall, turned around and went into the house. About half an hour later I stood in the same place, with the same packet of glue, sucking it. I didn't stop, I just became worse.
I woke up very late in the mornings, went to the shop and bought a newspaper looking for a job. Then I'd take the same piece of newspaper and roll a big joint. Finally I'd sit in my room all day, listening to the music, hoping that everything would change for the better, but it didn’t. I knew that my days were numbered. I became very thin, lost my appetite and sometimes I heard strange voices in my head. Demons appeared to me while I was sucking glue and it felt like they wanted to come into me. I was so scared and unhappy - that was like hell to me.
To be a slave of these things is not a joke. It starts so small, so subtle, but it grows, very slowly taking over and one day one realises that one can't control it anymore, it now controls you. I was a liar and a thief with no hope. My mother never knew about my drug addiction. She says that she saw something was wrong, but did not realise how serious it was. She didn't go through my things anymore and I felt free to stack the dagga in my cupboard. One day she saw the greenish leaves in a bowl and thought that they were some kind of spice. She nearly put it into the food that night.
I even went to church sometimes, still pretending that everything was OK. Even my closer friends didn't know what was going on in my life. I remember how my best friend came to visit me. I was high on something and when I heard him approaching my room, I hid away behind a door. I thought that this life would bring me freedom and joy - It didn't, I was trapped once again.
The one night I was sitting in my room listening to music and high on dagga as usual, when God suddenly revealed Himself to me. He opened my eyes that night and for the first time in my life I saw and realised who I really was and how corrupt and bad I had become. It felt like a death sentence, and I was guilty. I'll never be able to explain how that felt, the rejection and the hopelessness. My first thought was to commit suicide, but instead, I started crying out to God with all my heart to give me just one chance. At first nothing happened, but I kept on calling to Him to save me, realising that only He could help me.
I'll never ever forget that night until the day I die. The night when God broke those chains and delivered me from drug addiction and saved me from the Hell that I was in.
Today I'm a completely different person. The relationship with my mother is completely restored and she is the closest person in my life. I've got new hopes and dreams in my life and I enjoy my work very much and I use every opportunity to warn and help people who are in that mess. Above all I'm, thankful for this new life Christ has given me.
Testimony of David Green
As a young grade eight pupil, I had a vision and desire for my life. That desire was to study hard so that I could go to university one day. But I had a big problem. I was very shy and reserved and therefore, I was never popular nor did I have many friends. Instead I was bullied by the older and rebellious boys. I found myself slipping into a shell and I was often a loner. Because I was never good at anything and I never received much attention, I found myself becoming obsessed with things that were totally outrageous. I found pleasure in doing things that a normal person would not think of doing.
It was during this time that I started smoking. I thought smoking would do something for my timid and reserved nature. I had to prove that I was also something. I wanted to prove that I too could do what the older, rebellious and popular boys could do. I took hold of my problem and tried to find a solution for it. Because of my search for acceptance I started smoking dagga as well. I must admit that my starting to smoke did offer solutions to my problems, but at the same time started problems that were greater than my initial ones. Like most young people, I thought it would just remain at smoking.
I remember getting drunk that weekend in grade 9. Not once did it occur to me the problems that would arise as a result of alcohol. Liquor was an instant solution to my reserved and shy nature. Little did I know that this stuff would control my life. I didn’t realise that liquor would cause me to become a thief, even stealing from my parents. From that weekend on I sought every opportunity to get drunk. I developed, as a school boy, a love for strong drink such as brandy, vodka, etc. I would get drunk on school days, even to the point where I bunked my matric exams to go and get drunk, causing me to gain a Matric math's mark of 10%. I got into trouble with the Law because of indecent public behaviour. I remember clearly how, as a school boy, when I had no money to buy alcohol or dagga, I would suck glue, petrol, thinners, etc. I remember times when hours would pass by while I was busy with these things. I found I could only be someone or something when I was under the influence.
When I left school my drinking habit just got worse. I found myself going to bed drunk at night, and drinking myself drunk at work during the day. I stole money from work to support my addiction and so I continued loosing control until it affected my relationship with family and friends. What looked like an easy solution to my problem only turned out to make my problems worse. After a while I started mixing dagga smoking with my drinking to give me a bigger kick. Just before the radical change in my life, I would smoke dagga in the mornings and in the afternoons and evenings I would get drunk. I reached a point where it was impossible for me to be sociable if I was not under the influence of something.
Through all this there was a deep dissatisfaction and unhappiness. I was so unhappy that I would drink alone and smoke dagga by myself just to fill this gap in my life. My friends were concerned and worried about my addictions. I reached a stage when, no matter what I did, nothing brought any satisfaction. I had nothing to live for. I reached the end of myself while I was working in Johannesburg. It was during this time that the Lord Jesus visited me. I was alone smoked-up one day and He showed me the way to true happiness and freedom. He showed me the way to the fullness of life, and today I am a free person, a slave of nothing.
I thought drugs and alcohol were the way to acceptance, and although it did work, what a bitter price I had to pay.
Testimony of John Lilford-Powys
My Father and mother both had severe alcohol problems, they were probably both alcoholics, but I cannot say for certain. The reason being that when I was 4 months old my father left my mother and us two children. When I was seven years old, my mother committed suicide. Her parents (my grandparents) adopted my sister and myself. They were good living people, they did not drink or smoke at all. They raised us in a good and honourable way. I was the youngest, my sister being 17 months older than me. The death of my mother had a lasting negative effect on my sister and she soon went astray and became involved in alcohol and drugs. I however remained at home and was a good boy, I did well in primary school and can’t even remember getting a hiding during that time. At the end of grade 7 we had a farewell party. It was a hippie party, we had to dress like hippies (this was in 1968). My friend’s mother dressed me up like a hippie, with a wig, scruffy clothes and tattoos. I won the prize for the best hippie, a seven single called “Butchers and Bakers and Candlestick makers” which was in the top ten of the hit parade.
That was the beginning or perhaps the time when a desire was awakened in me for the hippie kind of lifestyle. I soon started rebelling against the authority of my grandparents, started dressing the way I liked. Not long after that I started smoking cigarettes, just for the kicks and to be big, it seemed to boost my image. I also started drinking and enjoyed the feeling of being drunk. At the age of 15 I left school, halfway through grade 11. I wanted to work to buy my own cigarettes and booze. I also wanted to grow my hair. Now I was independent, my own boss. Needless to say, the drinking became a habitual thing, every weekend. When I got my pay I went straight to the N.B.S (Nearest Bottle Store), that was always the most important. I found that when I was drunk I had much more coverage and freedom with girls and at the disco’s etc.
When I was 16, I had my first encounter with Dagga. I was taught that dagga was very evil and dangerous. My grandparents never really warned me about cigarettes and alcohol, but dagga they said was of the devil. A friend and I were invited with some older boys who smoked pot, I did not want to go along, but my friend persuaded me with a promise that we won’t smoke, we’ll just go along to pass the time. It didn’t take long and I was pressurised into taking a drag of the pipe. I liked it! The next day we bought a matchbox of dagga and smoked again, I really liked it. I liked the feeling but I also liked the image and the feeling of being a rebel. It made me feel like a man. I became untidy, uninterested in my appearance, my work went backward and I just thought of enjoying life. I met Sharon at that stage, she was 14, she was already drinking and smoking dagga, that’s why I liked her. We lived an immoral and loose life, not caring for the future. My life revolved around pleasure. If I could not get dagga, I drank cough mixture, prescription drugs, anything that would give me a kick. In 1974 I went to the army, 4 months later I was arrested for possession of dagga. I was detained for 20 days in a solitary cell awaiting trial. I said to myself I’ll never smoke again. I went to court, got sentenced to 4 strokes with a light cane and was sent to military hospital for psychological observation.
On arrival at the military hospital I smoked dagga again. I forgot about the punishment. After two weeks of observation I was found normal and the army sent me for rehabilitation. I spent seven months at the rehab camp. The therapy used to help us was hard labour. Needless to say I came out there seven times worse than when I went in. One thing this whole episode did, was to make me afraid of being caught again. I did not stop using dagga but cut down a lot and started drinking heavily. Sharon and I got married, she wanted to settle down and start a family, but I loved my drink and my friends. We fought just about every weekend because of my drunkenness. Eventually I drank at work, lunchtimes I went out with a friend and drank a half jack of rum. Some mornings I would drink a beer on my way to work. I didn’t think that I had a problem, I was only enjoying life, that’s all. The problem in my marriage was my wife not me. Eventually after two and a half years our marriage was on the rocks, we had enough of each other.
Fortunately she sought help. I thought she needed it. She was referred to a certain pastor who counselled her, I sat waiting in the car outside. He sent for me and wanted to see me. I went, but said I wouldn’t listen. That day I realised that I was lost, that I was a slave to sin, to alcohol, to drugs and to pleasure. That was the day I met the Son and the Son set me free. I confessed my sin and turned from my former ways and God is faithful. He has kept me for over 19 years, I have never gone back or had a relapse or even a desire to go back to that life again.
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