On the 16th and 17th of November 2021, the University of Pretoria’s Community Oriented Substance Use Programme (COSUP), together with the Drug and Substance Abuse (DSA) Unit at the City of Tshwane, and the South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD), hosted a virtual research symposium focusing on the work done in and around substance use in the City of Tshwane.

The virtual event highlighted the issues around drug use in the City of Tshwane, as well as featured the work done in this area - sharing research, experiences, and stories around illicit drug use in Tshwane to improve understanding of the scope of drug use, the lived experiences of people who use drugs, drug-related harms, and the results of evidence-based approaches to improve the health and well-being of people who use drugs as well as the broader community in Tshwane.

The event took place from 09:00 to 12:30 on the 16th of November, and from 09:00 to 13:00 on the 17th of November and was open to researchers, government officials, doctors, nurses, social workers, community workers, people with lived experience, and anyone with an interest in the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs.

According to the treatment demand and harm reduction service data presented by Dr Siphokazi Dada from the SA Medical Research Council’s South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use at the symposium, the number of people who sought treatment saw a significant increase from January to June of 2021. The number of people who sought treatment between January and June increased to 5 969 from 4 912 of the previous period from June to December 2020. Black males were 86% of this group, and 63% of them were younger than 30 years, with most of them unemployed.”

The symposium also heard that the people who identify alcohol as their primary substance of use, who present for treatment, increase with age. “Most people who misuse alcohol often seek help when they have reached alcohol dependence stage, which is much later in life,” said Dr Dada. For the older generation, there was an uptick in the number of people who identified alcohol as their primary substance of use, at 28% of the 884 of those between the ages of 36 and 55 years. For this age group, this was closely followed by heroin at 27%, cannabis at 14%, methamphetamine at 12%, and CAT at six percent.

Click here for media links and press releases; 

https://www.up.ac.za/up-copc-research-unit/article/3029293/tshwane-substance-use-research-symposium

https://rekord.co.za/399014/tshwane-sees-increase-in-drug-users-requesting-treatment/

https://youtu.be/4jjH-mxINuY