Rise in drug usage – Zululand

WHILE the street drug ‘Lean’ hit Zululand over three years ago, more school children are now reportedly abusing this illicit substance made with codeine cough syrup, soda and other additives.
This is according to local Narcotics Anonymous (NA) representative and counsellor Mathew Royappen who said the problem has escalated in this area with more youngsters becoming addicted to the cough mixture and cool-drink concoction.
Despite efforts to create awareness and discourage the use in the community, this drug which has been around for many years has infiltrated many suburbs with reports of ‘lean parties’ taking place at homes, in parks and even at schools.
Users consume the drink throughout the day to get high and it is often called ‘purple drank’ because the codeine often turns the liquid a purplish colour.
Royappen said that many family members affected by drugs, as well as drug users, call him daily for help while very few visit the weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings for support.
‘Currently, the ‘lean’ and ‘whoonga’ drugs remain our biggest challenges as they continue to wreak havoc in families across the city.
‘With drug addiction, there is never a quick fix or solution and the road to recovery can often be a life long journey, which they must be prepared to walk every day.
‘Locally we do not have rehab centres and while there are government rehabilitation centres, there is often a long waiting list involved and private rehabs often come at a high cost.’


Intervention
On Friday the uThungulu Community and Cultural Centre (UCCC) and Lungelo Youth Development (UYD) are hosting a drug awareness and outreach project at the Richards Bay Taxi Rank from 10am with local stakeholders, SANCA, LifeLine Zululand, Department of Social Development, SAPS and local churches conducting talks and awareness programmes while the local clinics will provide wellness testing and health awareness.