Pubdate: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 Source: Cape Argus (South Africa) Copyright: 2003 Cape Argus. Contact: http://capeargus.co.za/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2939 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/area/South+Africa US, SA SWOP DRUG NOTES Drug abuse among Cape Town's youth is on the rise and traditional upper-class drugs are finding their way into lower-income areas. This is the backdrop against which United States and South African experts are discussing research on drug abuse at a conference at the Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront. Among them are Medical Research Council (MRC) and US National Institute on Drug Abuse (Nida) researchers. A focus of the conference is the extent to which the use of alcohol and narcotics contributes to the lowering of inhibitions, leading to unsafe sex that helps spread HIV. The conference was a result of an agreement between President Thabo Mbeki and former US vice-president Al Gore that paved the way for their countries to co-operate at various levels, said Charles Parry, director of the MRC's alcohol and drug abuse research group. He said the conference's aim was to get researchers from both countries to find ways of communicating study ideas and findings and tackling joint projects. Law enforcement was not on the agenda, he said. The battle against drug abuse was not lost, but agencies involved in curbing it faced serious challenges. "Over the past few years, there has been a major increase in drug abuse among the youth. There has also been a shift in the demographics in that the more expensive drugs such as cocaine are finding their way into townships. "Cannabis use among the youth has also increased and that is a major concern for adolescent development." Despite the increase in drug abuse, resources for treatment and preventive measures remained limited, Parry said. "But at the same time, there seems to be greater commitment from our leadership. "A sign of this has been the launch by two ministers of the Ke Moja campaign targeting young people. Also, the government also come up with new norms and standards for treatment centres and taxes on ... alcohol and a new liquor policy may soon see the light." Leslie Cook Cooper, of Nida, said there was much room for co-operation between US and South African researchers. "We had small projects going together, but this conference offers the opportunity for our two countries to collaborate on a national level," she said. Although genetic influences could make a person susceptible to addiction and substance abuse, other factors such as environmental issues were also important. "One of the aspects we have been studying is the health and socio-economic impacts of drug abuse on different communities." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake