A trip to no man’s land

During the end of last year, the Advertiser reported that according to the latest crime stats the biggest issue in Boksburg is drug-related crime, which in total stood at 1 685 cases for the four police stations.

And this is certainly not a problem unique to Boksburg. This is a global epidemic that continues to take people on a trip to no man’s land of self-destruction.

For this reason the Advertiser recently placed emphasis on the drug problem in the city, so that we are constantly reminded that this is an enemy which is causing even greater harm than any politician or ruling government.

To gain insight into the scary world of substance abuse, both prescription and illegal drugs, do yourself a favour and read the World Drug Report, which is released annually by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Last year, for example, it was revealed that the non-medical use of prescription drugs is becoming a major threat to public health and law enforcement worldwide with opioids causing the most harm and accounting for 76 per cent of deaths where drug use disorders were implicated.

It was also revealed that tramadol – an opioid used to treat moderate and moderate to severe pain – has become a growing concern in parts of Africa and Asia. Accessibility of fentanyl and tramadol for medical use is vital for treating pain, but traffickers manufacture them illicitly and promote them in illegal markets causing considerable harm to health.

Here is a scary thought: The global seizure of pharmaceutical opioids in 2016 was 87 tons, roughly the same as the quantities of heroin seized that year.

Thus, be it supposed prescription or illegal drugs, people are hooked.

The report showed that drug markets are expanding, with cocaine and opium production hitting absolute record highs, presenting multiple challenges on multiple fronts, which should be a concern to all.

Not surprisingly, cannabis was the most widely consumed drug in 2016, with 192 million people using it at least once during the previous year.

The global number of cannabis users continues to rise and appears to have increased by roughly 16 per cent in the decade to 2016, reflecting a similar increase in the world population.

Just as scary is that drugs such as heroin and cocaine that have been available for a long time are now increasingly coexist with new psychoactive substances and prescription drugs.

An earlier World Drug Report also showed how in 2015 about a quarter of a billion people used drugs. Of these, around 29.5 million people – or 0.6 per cent of the global adult population – were engaged in problematic use and suffered from drug use disorders, including dependence.

Opioids were at the time also regarded as the most harmful drug type and accounted for 70 per cent of the negative health impact associated with drug use disorders worldwide.

Two years ago the report showed that disorders related to the use of amphetamines also account for a considerable share of the global burden of disease.

According to the latest Global Drug Survey, which is an independent research organisation based in London, it was found when interviewing 123 814 people from more than 30 countries that of the 20 drugs used most commonly in the last 12 months four were tobacco/nicotine-based products, six were psychedelic/dissociative drugs, four were stimulant drugs and three were prescription CNS depressants.

It was also found the top 10 drugs used over this same time period (excluding alcohol and tobacco/nicotine products) were cannabis, MDMA, cocaine, amphetamines, LSD, magic mushrooms, benzodiazepines, prescription opioids, ketamine and nitrous oxide.

All of this paints a rather daunting picture of addiction and a global society that is seeking a high, or a thrill, or a low, or a means to cope, or to escape the demons inside or simply to forget life in general.

There are indeed a multiple reasons for people getting hooked, be it to deal with pain or to simply to feel liberated, the reality is that the drug trade should be of far greater concern than even our crumbling service delivery or the empty promises of cabinet.

It has invaded homes, schools and work places, basically every corner of society, destroying at leisure families and loved one, and it doesn’t care about colour or culture.

It is a monster that feeds on the social ills of our times, and for decades it has morphed into an untouchable beast.

Yet, for those who remain vigilant of this beast’s dangerous appetite, it remains our duty to warn and to raise awareness, while parents hold the greatest responsibility to steer their children, thus the future generations, on a better path of hope.