US, SA SWOP DRUG NOTES

Drug abuse among Cape Town's youth is on the rise and traditional
upper-class drugs are finding their way into lower-income areas.

This is the backdrop against which United States and South African
experts are discussing research on drug abuse at a conference at the
Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront.

Among them are Medical Research Council (MRC) and US National
Institute on Drug Abuse (Nida) researchers.

A focus of the conference is the extent to which the use of alcohol
and narcotics contributes to the lowering of inhibitions, leading to
unsafe sex that helps spread HIV.

The conference was a result of an agreement between President Thabo
Mbeki and former US vice-president Al Gore that paved the way for
their countries to co-operate at various levels, said Charles Parry,
director of the MRC's alcohol and drug abuse research group.

He said the conference's aim was to get researchers from both
countries to find ways of communicating study ideas and findings and
tackling joint projects.

Law enforcement was not on the agenda, he said.

The battle against drug abuse was not lost, but agencies involved in
curbing it faced serious challenges.

"Over the past few years, there has been a major increase in drug
abuse among the youth. There has also been a shift in the demographics
in that the more expensive drugs such as cocaine are finding their way
into townships.

"Cannabis use among the youth has also increased and that is a major
concern for adolescent development." Despite the increase in drug
abuse, resources for treatment and preventive measures remained
limited, Parry said.

"But at the same time, there seems to be greater commitment from our
leadership.

"A sign of this has been the launch by two ministers of the Ke Moja
campaign targeting young people. Also, the government also come up
with new norms and standards for treatment centres and taxes on ...
alcohol and a new liquor policy may soon see the light."

Leslie Cook Cooper, of Nida, said there was much room for co-operation
between US and South African researchers.

"We had small projects going together, but this conference offers the
opportunity for our two countries to collaborate on a national level,"
she said.

Although genetic influences could make a person susceptible to
addiction and substance abuse, other factors such as environmental
issues were also important.

"One of the aspects we have been studying is the health and
socio-economic impacts of drug abuse on different communities."