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The Democratic Alliance (DA) urges all South Africans to take note of national Drug Awareness Week, a necessary spotlight on one of the biggest social problems facing our country. The DA has prioritised the tackling of drug and substance abuse in the places where we govern and is calling on the fight on drugs to be prioritised by the National government through a range of interdepartmental strategies. Chief among these must be the reinstatement of the Narcotics Unit in the South African Police Services. The disbanding of this specialized unit by the national ANC government has been a serious blow to our ability to tackle the drug trade effectively. Further, in emulation of our Western Cape Provincial model, the National Departments of Health and Social Development must learn to work together to provide a multi-front approach to dealing with the social effects of drug and substance abuse.

The abuse of hard drugs is on the rise in South Africa. A study conducted by the Medical Research Council (MRC) in 2005 revealed that one in three respondents reported using either crack cocaine, cocaine hydrochloride, methamphetamine (tik), or methcathinone (CAT) as their primary or secondary stimulant.

Since 2009, the DA-led administration in the Western Cape has prioritised the fight against drug abuse by implementing a two-pronged programme which aims to both prevent more individuals falling into the trap of addiction and abuse and assisting those who are already in the cycle of drug-abuse by providing treatment. Young people specifically have been targeted as the key demographic where this policy can have the greatest effect and the administration seeks to offer them psychosocial support over and above ‘awareness and education' in order to see the greatest tangible benefits. Some of our key interventions include, on the prevention side:

To prioritise schools and school districts with the most prevalent drug and alcohol problems, by doing surveys to ascertain the extent and thus the appropriate interventions needed. This includes drug testing in schools under our new cabinet approved Provincial education legislation;
Increasing the use of social workers by 400% (from 49 to 200) to serve our schools, allowing principals and teachers to easily access such services when learners are caught with, or suspected of, using alcohol or drugs;
Clamping down on the Western Capes approximately 30 000 illegal shebeens, in line with the new Western Cape Liquor Act;
Boosting and increasing road-blocks to curb drunk driving and stifle drug trafficking operations;

In terms of treatment, the Western Cape administration is undertaking the following measures:

Setting up more youth intervention and treatment centres, with the Eerste River drug rehab centre having been opened already on the 16 June 2010.
Establishing new community-based ‘drop-in centres' to provide information to the public, screening, assessment and referral services, as well as evidence-based out-patient and aftercare services.
Increasing the availability and accessibility of monitoring services for people who have completed rehabilitation programmes.
Establishing an independent professional credentialing association to assist the sector to improve its services and boost the provincial government's ability to identifying and fund duly capable service providers.

At the national level, however, the reestablishment of the Narcotics Bureau is an important first step in tackling our national drug crisis; I will be requesting a meeting with the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, and the Minister of Social Development, Mrs Edna Molewa, to table the DA's proposals to broaden the scope of our approach, and finally ensure that South Africa as a whole has a targeted and effective anti-drug policy.