Substance Abuse Bill
22 January 2007
The Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, has released for
public comment, the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Bill, aimed
at assisting the country to curb the abuse of substances such as alcohol and
illicit drugs.
Dr Skweyiya intends to introduce the Bill to Parliament during 2007. The
draft Bill will replace the outdated Prevention and Treatment of Drug
Dependency Act of 1992.
South Africa has become a key player in the drug trade, as both a drug
producing country (cannabis and mandrax) as well as a consumer country.
"Our country continues to experience increased levels of substance abuse. It
is of serious concern to us that the age of first experimentation with
substances has dropped to between nine and 10 years. The new legislation will
promote more community based services, place greater emphasis on preventative
services and will be more sensitive towards the needs of children who are so
often the victims of unscrupulous drug dealers," said Dr Skweyiya.
The South African Risk Survey conducted in 2004 indicates that nationally
49% of teenagers use alcohol, 31% smoke and 13% use dagga on a regular basis,
and more young people are admitted for drug related problems.
It is estimated that the annual economic costs associated with alcohol
misuse could be in the region of 0,5% to 1,9% of the country's Gross Domestic
Product. This translates to about R8,7 billion a year. The figure for the
misuse of both drugs and alcohol is approximately R10 billion a year.
"The far-reaching implications of substance abuse should not be
underestimated. It threatens the stability of families and the future of our
youth, influences criminal behaviour and contributes to poverty and
unemployment. Substance abuse is also linked to car accidents and other forms
of trauma, domestic violence and other social ills," added Dr Skweyiya.
The objective of the Bill is to:
(a) ensure a co-ordinated effort to reduce the supply and demand of
substances of abuse
(b) regulate the establishment, registration and management of treatment
centres, in- and outpatient services, community-based services and halfway
houses
(c) promote research and information management in the field of substance
abuse
(d) establish a Central Drug Authority to monitor and oversee the
implementation of the National Drug Master Plan.
Accurate and current statistics on the supply and demand of alcohol and
illicit drugs in South Africa is difficult to obtain. As part of the effort to
address this matter, the Department will next month, from 13 to 16 February,
host a National Drug Summit at the Forum Hotel in Johannesburg. The Summit will
enable South Africa to obtain recent data on treatment, prevention,
rehabilitation, aftercare and reintegration modalities in the country and
abroad.
The draft Bill is available on the Department of Social Development's
website: http://www.socdev.gov.za. Hard
copies can be obtained from Ms Connie Nxumalo Department of Social Development,
7th Floor, HSRC Building, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria, and Tel: (012) 312
7448. Comments can be mailed to Ms Nxumalo at Private Bag X901, Pretoria, 0001,
fax number (012) 3127888 or e-mail: connyn@socdev.gov.za.
Enquiries:
Lakela Kaunda
Cell: 082 782 2575
E-mail: Lakela@mobileemail.vodafonesa.co.za
Issued by: Department of Social Development
22 January 2007
