2013 Cannabis Position Paper

SANCWG Cannabis Position Paper of 2013

Legalising drugs in the spotlight

Legalise drugs to end gang wars - experts

Cape Town - Decriminalising drugs is a silver bullet that could significantly weaken gangs by ruining their main source of income and power, say some experts.

But authorities are against the controversial idea.

Gareth Newham, the Institute for Security Studies’ head of crime and justice, said so far the fight against drugs and gangsterism had failed.

“We have to change our approach... and stop doing what’s proved to fail,” he said.

Gang violence has flared in a number of areas around the province, especially in Manenberg, where shootings are reported almost daily.

Hard Livings gangster Tashwin van Niekerk, of Manenberg, told the Cape Times the fighting was over turf from which to sell drugs and because tik and cocaine were becoming easier and easier to access.

He agreed that decriminalising drugs would affect gangs as their main source of income would be weakened.

“But then there’ll be no boundaries between the gangs and we’ll fight worse,” Van Niekerk said.

Newham said decriminalising drugs “would remove the single biggest source of income and cash to the gangs”.

He said the issues were not necessarily decriminalising drugs, but removing the drug market from gangsters.

Newham said there was “a growing global market” towards decriminalising drugs.

He said certain drugs, including dagga, which was mainly used socially, could be decriminalised and other harder drugs, including cocaine and tik, could remain illegal.

“Police could play a complementary role and police only those drugs,” Newham said.

He added that decriminalising certain drugs would free up police resources.

“Research shows that nowhere in the world can you fight drugs effectively through policing.”

Newham said that because of the economic climate, drugs were often the only source of income for dealers.

About 95 percent of the time “small-time” dagga dealers were jailed and often left prison as hardened criminals.

Newham acknowledged that the relatives of drug addicts would be among those who would not support the decriminalising of drugs and that it would be “politically not an easy thing to sell”.

“What we have typically are politicians using moral panic,” he said, explaining that politicians often called for more police to be thrown at the “serious social problem” of drug abuse.

Newham said drug abuse was a complex issue linked to lifestyles and social interventions, proven to work, were needed to clamp down on it.

“If those things worked, it would’ve worked by now. All these approaches have failed,” he said.

Criminologist Liza Grobler said she supported the decriminalisation of drugs.

“I know it’s controversial, but to me it makes sense because this is how you’ll destroy the market,” she said.

Grobler said the move could in effect cripple the drug trade.

“You’re going to pull the mat from under the dealers. It’s completely ridiculous that so many lives are destroyed,” she said, referring to the number of people killed in gang violence.

Grobler said the government was not “progressive enough” to decriminalise drugs.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s spokesman Zweli Mnisi did not comment on the minister’s stance on decriminalising drugs and instead provided the Cape Times with details about what police were doing to deal with drug use.

In terms of gangsterism, he said: “The links between gangsterism and the illicit trade in drugs is also becoming a serious concern.”

Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said he was “completely against” decriminalising drugs.

“I see on a day-to-day basis what it does to your youngsters,” he said.

“It would be a very tough nut for me to say: ‘Let’s try it.’ I think we’re not there. It’s still a very, very long way to go.”

Plato said deciding to decriminalise drugs would be “a hell of a lot of work”.

Ashley Potts, director of the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre, said while the centre supported the decriminalisation of dagga users, it was opposed to legalising drugs.

“Gangs’ existence transcends the sale of drugs. It would be naive to even suggest that changing legislation of this nature would even dent the fabric of the existence of gangs.

“Gangs survive through calculated structures they have developed through generations,” Potts said.

- Cape Times

Infographic - Cannabis in South Africa

Cannabis in South Africa

Cape addicts wait months for treatment

Cape Town - Drug addicts in the province who cannot afford private in-patient treatment and rely on the state usually have to wait between three and four months as the centres are always full, says the social development ministry.

The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) in the Western Cape says while there are enough in-patient treatment facilities in the province, only a few addicts and their families can afford the treatment, even if state-subsidised.

However, Social Development MEC Albert Fritz’s spokeswoman, Melany Kühn, says that in-patient treatment “is not the be all and end all of treatment” and that outpatient facilities, the cheaper alternative, can be a better option.

In-patient treatment involves specialised residential treatment provided at a centre, while outpatient treatment involves people remaining in their communities while being treated.

According to a progress report from the province’s Substance Abuse Forum, set up to tackle the drug problem:

* There are six state-subsidised in-patient facilities in the Western Cape that cater for 807 people a year.

* The Social Development Department funds 17 community-based outpatient treatment centres that cater for 3 095 people a year.

* This is aside from three state-owned facilities that can cater for 1 480 people.

This means the centres collectively cater for at least 5 382 people.

According to a South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (Sacendu) report, in the second half of last year, 3 178 people were admitted for treatment at 26 centres in the province.

Kühn said the in-patient centres were “always at full capacity”.

“However, there seems to be a perception that in-patient treatment is somehow a better option.

“Depending on the screening and assessment of the client, they can be referred to either one of the options,” she said.

Bronwyn Myers, a chief specialist scientist in the Medical Research Council’s alcohol and drug abuse unit, said in-patient and outpatient facilities should not be compared, as each targeted a different set of problems.

She said it was difficult to assess if there were sufficient state-funded in-patient facilities in the province because better statistics were needed to look into, among other things, the need for drug treatment and the effectiveness of it.

However, Sanca Western Cape’s corporate services director Tertius Cronje said there were “certainly not enough” free in-patient facilities in the province.

“The fact is simply that the largest proportion of Sanca Western Cape tik patients are unemployed, which means that no employer loans are available and their families cannot afford even a substantially reduced cost.

“Unlike outpatient services, in-patient treatment is costly,” he said.

Ashley Potts, director at the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre, also said there were too few in-patient facilities.

“Matched to the number of service users, we most certainly do not have sufficient facilities to assist for the demand for services,” he said.

Potts said people often thought in-patient treatment was better, but outpatient treatment could be preferable.

“We have seen greater success with outpatient treatment services and advocate for it,” he said.

Potts said outpatient treatment involved a client’s family more and allowed a client to manage his or her daily life and “triggers” that came with it.

He said in-patient treatment was the best for heroin addicts, who struggled the most “to stay clean”.

“In-patient treatment is also appropriate for those who are struggling as outpatients,” Potts said.

- Cape Times

Tik: the drug of choice in the Cape

Cape Town - Most drug and alcohol users who have been admitted for treatment in the province have primarily used tik, says a report on substance abuse trends.

According to a South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (Sacendu) report, in the second half of last year, 3 178 people were admitted for treatment at 26 centres in the province.

Of these, tik was the primary drug of abuse for 33 percent of them, followed by 22 percent primarily using alcohol and another 22 percent primarily using cannabis.

“(Tik) remained the most common primary drug reported by patients in the (Western Cape),” the report said.

The Sacendu report said treatment admissions for heroin as a primary drug of use had decreased in the Western Cape. But when it came to “club drugs”, including ecstasy and tik, treatment admissions for these substances was low except in this province.

The report said “the abuse of over-the-counter and prescription medicines such as slimming tablets” was an issue “across sites”.

Treatment admissions for over-the-counter or prescription medicines as a primary or secondary drug of choice stood at 1 percent in the Western Cape.

Bronwyn Myers, a chief specialist scientist in the Medical Research Council’s alcohol and drug abuse unit, said while the primary drug for those seeking treatment was tik, the primary substance of abuse within communities in the province was alcohol, followed by cannabis and then tik.

The average drug user in the Western Cape is:

* Male

* Unemployed

* Not married

* 25-29 years old

* Primarily uses tik

Based on data from the SA Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use report (Jul-Dec 2012)

- Cape Times

Department of Social Development has its funding cut

The Department of Social Development has had its funding to fight "the scourge of drugs" cut by 18% (R2949-million).

"Substance abuse is a massive problem in our country and any cut in funding is going to have a detrimental effect. This short-term cut will have a long-term impact," said Mike Waters, DA shadow deputy minister of social development.

The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) is one of the organisations which will be affected .

Cathy Vos, national coordinator of Sanca, said though the organisation was subsidised by government it was equally dependent on alternative funding.

Busi Mthali, social worker at the Sharp Treatment Centre, a private rehabilitation clinic in Pretoria, said one of the biggest challenges in dealing with substance abuse was a lack of resources.

"**Passion doesn't pay the bills.** There are not enough social workers to deal with the large caseloads," said Mthali.

She said in-patient programmes in disadvantaged communities suffered the most due to the lack of funding and resources.

Zane Wilson, founder of South African Depression and Anxiety Group, which is also funded by the department, said: "It is too early to say what the impact will be.

"Despite the budget cuts it is a patient's right to get treatment and we will push to get them treatment."
Wilson said **Nyaope was one of the biggest problem drugs at the moment.** 

Waters added: "It is time that the department did something about the drug crisis in South Africa."

The Department of Social Development could not be reached for comment. (From TimesLive)

Cape acts on staff substance abuse

Cape Town - City of Cape Town officials estimate that about 10 percent of the 27 000 city employees have an addiction problem, with alcohol and tik abuse the most prevalent.

The city’s corporate services committee has revised the city’s substance abuse policy to take a tougher stance on drug and alcohol abusers, saying if addiction problems spiral out of control it will affect service delivery.

Herman van der Watt, manager of the city’s employee wellness programme, said addiction problems were spread throughout the city’s employment structure.

Alcohol is the prevalent substance abused among employees older than 40 and for employees between 23 and 35 the most common substance is tik.

“The city’s programme is currently mostly treating staff members employed on lower levels due to the fact that many of them have reached chronic stages of addiction that need urgent intervention. Higher level employees may never be seen by our service as they would access private treatment utilising medical aid,” Van der Watt said.

A city report said a large number of work sites were affected by drug and alcohol abuse which led to absenteeism, poor performance, criminal activity and injuries on duty.

The most vulnerable group are employees who work in public places with no close supervision.”

Van der Watt said they were discussing with occupational health and safety labour officials how to implement a screening tool.

The city’s own out-patient programme, Matrix 16 week, was established in July 2011.

Since then, 323 city employees had been referred to the programme and some were referred to in-patient rehabilitation centres.

Of the 323, 154 failed to complete it, 33 were dismissed, two passed away and five employees resigned.

Van der Watt said 114 employees had “disappeared” out of the programme in the past year but still managed to work for the city.

“The employee with the disease of addiction manages to continue to manipulate the manager, the service and also the city to their advantage, they have developed an attitude of entitlement and we often hear that they feel the (Matrix) group gives them ‘free time’ away from work and that they are only doing it to not be fired, thus leading to lip service, manipulation and passive-aggressive behaviour,” Van der Watt added.

DA councillor Courtney van Wyk, from the corporate services committee, said: “The policy addresses a zero-tolerance approach to substance abuse but also looks to provide a healthy and safe environment in line with occupational health legislation. We have to balance between being a caring city and being disciplined.”

Although the city does not have a definite figure of how many people are addicted, Van Wyk said it was clear there was a problem.

The chairman of the corporate services committee, Derrick America, said the policy was stricter but also clearer on the role of city authorities.

- Cape Times

South Africans rush to harvest cannabis plantation

A large cannabis plantation discovered on the outskirts of a South African city reportedly sent locals rushing to the scene to harvest the banned drug.

The field was found growing behind a park in Saulsville, Pretoria West, by residents on Sunday and by Wednesday, it had been virtually stripped of the drug, which is known as "dagga" in South Africa. Only three bushes which were in deep undergrowth and inaccessible remained.

One man, 32, who did not want to be named, told South Africa's Times newspaper he filled two refuse bags with the drug. "I am set for at least a year if I smoke alone," he said. "All I need now is a concealed spot where I can dry it."

Another man, who said he did not smoke the drug himself, said he filled a 25-litre bucket for his friends and relatives who were smokers.

According to the newspaper, the city's police have destroyed two other large cannabis plantations, each the size of a rugby field, in recent years.

The destroyed fields had a potential harvest with an estimated street value of around R5 million.

Possession of cannabis in South Africa is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. (The Telegraph)

Anti-Drug Alliance of SA raises the white flag. The war is lost. The drugs won.

Quintin van Kerken, the Anti-Drug Alliance of SA's CEO, said: 

"It is clear that the war against drugs is lost.

"We see more and more [drug] dealers are on the streets every day.

"There would not be so many drug dealers if there were not so many drug users.

"The fact is that we have lost the war and all that the government is doing is spending billions on catching a few criminals who are trafficking large amounts of drugs," he said.

Van Kerken said the best solution at this stage would be to legalise or decriminalise certain drugs.
He said that most of the social workers, councillors and magistrates it consulted agreed with the concept of legalisation, albeit in " hushed tones or behind closed doors". (Timeslive)