- South Africa’s National Drug Master Plan recognises drug addiction as a chronic disease that affects the brain and behaviour.
- It says human rights — instead of prejudice — should underpin how the country fights against drugs. That’s why it recommends harm reduction strategies, such as opioid replacement therapy, where drug users are given methadone to curb their withdrawal symptoms and to eventually wean some of them off opioids.
- But instead, police follow the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 1992 which says drug use is criminal.
- Police target low-level drug mules and go through a cycle of arrests and re-offending that wastes resources and achieves little.
- Here’s why — and how — we should treat addiction as a public health, rather than a criminal, problem.
In today’s newsletter, our Health Beat team explains why the National Master Drug Plan and drug policing are at odds. Sign up for our newsletter now.
Anna-Maria van Niekerk is Bhekisisa’s news editor. She joined the centre after six years as the managing editor of the investigative television show, Carte Blanche. Anna-Maria has an extensive career in in-depth health and human rights reporting and has been named both the Vodacom Journalist (2002) and Discovery Health Journalist of the Year (2010) for exposés on the selling of human body parts for muti in Limpopo and the devastating consequences of HIV denialism.
Jessica Pitchford is Bhekisisa's TV and multimedia editor. She's been a journalist since the early nineties and has reported on some pivotal events in South Africa’s political history, such as the country’s transition to democracy and the work of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
Mia Malan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa. She has worked in newsrooms in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington, DC, winning more than 30 awards for her radio, print and television work.
Ruan Visser is a South African-based freelance director of photography, crafting visual narratives with a keen eye for detail and a love for cinematic storytelling.
An award-winning editor and producer with over 22 years in broadcasting, Floris Kotze tells compelling stories that connect with viewers. Inducted into the South African Guild of Editors, he brings creativity, attention to detail, experience and a sharp eye to every frame.
