Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 Source: New Era (Namibia) Copyright: New Era 2005 Contact: http://www.newera.com.na/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3380 BLACK DRUG USE ON THE RISE THE use of hard drugs is on the increase in especially the former black suburbs of Windhoek. Parents in some parts of Katutura and Khomasdal have witnessed their children increasingly being caught up in the web of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroine and crack cocaine. A parent living in one of Katutura's suburbs recently caught her son red-handedly using drugs. The startled mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing possible repercussions against her son, said her son did not even bother hiding what he was doing and continued to inject his arm with a needle thrust with cocaine. Meme Aina (not her real name) is just one of the many worried mothers. A week ago, a young woman engaged to be wed, saw her dreams shattered into pieces through the taste of cocaine or rather "kafufu", as it is locally called. Apparently the young woman lost control and stripped naked in public, bringing shame not only to herself but also to those who dearly love her, New Era learnt reliably. According to the source, "kafufu" has become a commonly used substance in Katutura and other outlying suburbs. "Even kids are using it. They like to do this at night at bus stops and also at shebeens. Some of them do it in public when they are high. Nobody cares anymore," he stated. A flashy bar in Katutura, known to be a well-known hangout for drug dealers, is said to be the main place where "kafufu" is used. This is also the place where the young lady apparently stripped naked. Women are known to overdose themselves there. According to the source, one of the three women is a girlfriend of the main drug dealer, a young man who is in his early thirties. New Era also learnt reliably that the drug dealer for fear of police arrest bribed a Windhoek doctor to treat his girlfriend and it is also to this doctor where all his clients are going for treatment, especially when they overdose. This bar is also believed to be a popular place where regular drug users hang out, most of them very well off . "At this bar, they talk openly about kafufu. They use the word kafufu so that no one knows what they are talking about. They even talk how their girlfriends almost overdosed the previous day," he added. The source said cocaine, although very expensive, has become very common and is shared mostly at shebeens. "It is not safe to accept a drink from someone, because you don't know what the person has put in it. Some of them, when they fancy a girl, put it in her drink so that they can take her to bed," he said. The source said this was how people become addicted to cocaine. They take the stuff in their drinks without knowing and the following day, they start longing for the same drink. The only way to get it is to go to the person who offered it. Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug that delivers an intensity of pleasure beyond the bounds of normal human experience. The powdered, hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Crack is cocaine that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. This form of cocaine comes in a rock crystal that can be heated and its vapours smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when it is heated. It is alleged that those dealing in drugs also share it with their women to make them more active in bed. Police comment could not be obtained at the time of going to press. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek