By Daanyaal Matthews
After intense discussion with Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on issues affecting the community, one topic that was adamantly brought forth was the issue of drug rehabilitation and how the Metro is providing for those in the quagmire of addiction.
A response to these queries was provided by Sharna Fernandez, MEC for Social Development, who spoke on VOC Breakfast on the latest National Drug Master Plan, stating:
“The National Drug Master Plan is a document written by the Central Drug Authority and the National Department of Social Development. The document outlines the role that each Department must play in addressing substance use and abuse. It also acknowledges the contribution of the various Departments in the country and in the province that contribute towards a suitable response.”
The National Drug Master Plan divides the responsibility of dealing with substance abuse across the nation with a distinctive plan crafted for each province to accommodate for the difference in substance abuse trends, and patterns, within each province.
This would translate to the field by promoting the involvement of various stakeholders most importantly: substance abusers and communities. This would differ greatly from the usual modus operandi expected by the public which would largely hold government, and partially, NGO’s responsible for the rectification of the social issue.
‘This is about the user and community. So, a critical structure in getting this together in the province is the Provincial Substance Abuse Forum whose role is to strengthen member organizations to carry out the functions to encourage the networking, effective flow of information, and importantly: assist local drug action committees,’ explained Fernandez.
The plan thus aims to involve all spheres of society from government to the average citizen within the Mother City. One growing question is how the plan aims to counter the current stigmatization that substance abuse users are constantly faced with which could hinder the community’s participation in the plan overall with Fernandez arguing for a shift in mindset, arguing:
‘We need a paradigm shift in how we view the user. What we should be doing or focusing on is the distributor not the user. The user is right at the back-end of a vicious cycle. So, I would appeal to the community to think differently of addicts and users in the community. It is a scourge but what users are looking for is connection and love and by stigmatizing them we are actually driving them out.’
