DRUG ABUSE ON RISE AMONG TEENAGERS'

Johannesburg

AN INCREASING number of people seeking help from alcohol and drug abuse
centres were under the age of 20, the Medical Research Council said yesterday.

Combined with recent drug-use surveys conducted in schools, this suggested
that drug abuse was on the rise among teenagers, said Andreas Pluddemann, a
senior scientist in the council's alcohol and drug abuse research group.

The council's research showed that one in four patients seeking treatment
between June and December last year was under 20.

Seven years ago, that figure was just one in 10. "It's difficult to say
why," said Pluddemann.

"There appears to be more aggressive marketing of drugs on city streets,
but there is also an element of more young people approaching treatment
centres, and centres being more open to them."

The most commonly used drug among teenagers was cannabis, and in Cape Town
mandrax abuse was also common, he said.

Heroin and cocaine were also commonly used by teenagers, with a worrying
escalation in the use of heroin apparent, said Pluddemann.

The council found that 7% of the teenagers seeking help were heroin
addicts, compared with just 1% five years ago.

Treatment demand for abuse of over-the-counter and prescription medicines
such as slimming pills and painkillers appeared stable, although many
patients reported these substances as a secondary problem. Treatment for
ecstasy, LSD or amphetamines as primary drugs was low, said Pluddemann.

Rob Boone, the SA representative for the United Nations (UN) Office of
Drugs and Crime, said this week that the country was becoming increasingly
popular as a transit point for drug trafficking, particularly for hard
drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

In Cape Town alone the number of coloured heroin patients doubled between
2001 and last year, and increased five-fold among blacks, he said. One
estimate was that one in three children had experimented with drugs by the
time they had reached matric.

The UN estimated that one in 20 people over 14 used illicit drugs, which
took a toll not only on the drug users, but on society as a whole,
particularly with the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the UN office , said the stigma
attached to drug addiction and the exclusion of addicts from the mainstream
had led to ignorance about the drug problem and treatment alternatives.

Boone said the body had great success with the Ke Moja (No thanks, I'm
fine) pilot project that started in Tshwane last year, and it would be
expanding the programme to Western Cape and the rest of the country. It is
hoped that the SA initiative will spread to the rest of the region.

Youth linked to the juvenile crime prevention, rehabilitation and
development programme Khulisa will be taking part in a number of events to
draw attention to drug addiction.

In Soweto, rugby players from the Golden Lions Rugby Union will by hosting
a rugby coaching clinic for more than 200 learners from 10 Meadowlands high
schools. A drug workshop will also be held at Johannesburg Prison for first
time child offenders who have been diverted from the criminal justice system.

Marches to raise awareness have been organised in Katlehong where 150
people from schools in the area will march to Katlehong police station and
in Potchefstroom.