THE Urban Futures Centre (UFC) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), in partnership with the TB/HIV Care Association (THCA), hosted the Let’s talk about drug solutions, and stop the harm! seminar, which focused on problematic drug use and solutions which seek to reduce harm.
The seminar was held at the DUT Steve Biko Campus. Speaking about the seminar, Prof Monique Marks said it was very well attended by the drug user community, family members affected by drug use, doctors, health professionals, and young people eager to support people who use drugs on their various recovery journeys. She said government representatives from the mayor’s office and Metro Police were also present.
Marks said the community needed to start talking about drugs and more importantly, about solutions to reduce the harms caused by drugs and the way laws are enforced.
“Whoonga use is common in the city and new drugs continue to become available.”
“Despite great efforts by police, and communities – tough love, zero tolerance and the war on drugs – have not made our city safer nor have they helped the majority of people who use drugs. This public lecture provided a chance to share experiences of harm reduction, an approach that allows us to treat all people with respect and give support to people who use drugs as we all work together to build safer, healthier communities,” said Marks.
She said the discussion following the presentations was very robust, and two people from the user community also shared their stories of heroin use.
“Zara spoke of her 13 heroin injecting years, and how after trying many rehabilitation centres with no success, begged her father to let her try Methadone. She has now been on Methadone for four years and is completely stabilised.”
“She has a full time job as a health professional, is completing a law degree, has bought a car and is to be married later this year.”
“Manalise spoke of his descent into the world of whoonga while he was still at school. Despite being on whoonga, he managed to complete a range of university courses. He writes poetry and shared two of his astonishing poems with us. His dream is to stabilise and reconnect with his family, and write poetry as a means of generating income,” she said.
Marks, said Manalise, is unable to get Methadone in the private sector and is very keen to be part of the soon-to-be-launched Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) Demonstration Project which will kick off in early April.
“For him, OST represents the only hope he has of leading a normal life, free of being harassed by the police and cut off from family and friends,” she said.
Marks said the OST Demonstration Programme was supported by the KZN and National Department of Health, as well as the eThekwini’s Mayor’s Office.
“This support does not translate at the moment into anything that is material, but we are very pleased to have these government actors on its side. We now have our full complement of staff for the project – a registered nurse, a medical doctor (part time), a social worker, a project co-ordinator and a peer councillor,” she said.
She encouraged anyone who wants to be part of the project to contact her.
“There are many roles that can be played including running poetry evenings, chilling at the site which is the TB/HIV Care Association drop in centre in Umbilo, establishing a library facility at the drop in centre, running social and recreational events, and so on,” she said.
Contact Prof Monique Marks on 084 403 3934, 031 373 2180 or email: moniquem@dut.ac.za.
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