SOUTH Africa is facing an intensifying drug abuse crisis which sees about half the patients requiring specialist treatment in Gauteng reporting cannabis and/or Mandrax as their primary drug of abuse, according to a report by the Medical Research Council (MRC). Of more concern, says the report, is an increasing shift by mandrax-users to harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine, especially crack. “We have seen a definite increase in the use of cocaine and heroin … all the indicators show an increase in use of harder drugs,” said Charles Parry, chief specialist scientist (alcohol and drugs) at the (MRC). Doctors are seeing an increasing number of patients with drug abuse-related ailments, a significant number of which were resulting in deaths. One in four patients treated for drug abuse in the Indian Ocean port city of Durban use cocaine or crack as their primary drug of choice.