The disease we know as Malaria was thought to be caused by breathing “bad air” (mal aria) that emanates from swamps. This was not “fake news” but a lack of understanding and evidence at the time. As you probably know, swamps and stagnant water are excellent breeding sites for mosquitoes that transmit the Plasmodium parasites that cause the disease
While the laws controlling the substance are being finalised, it is crucial to be informed about your rights and responsibilities
The international community can support the continent through, for example, the transfer of technology to enable drugs and vaccines to be produced on African soil
The highly addictive pain medication Tramadol is being sold as a street drug
The list of medicines nurses can prescribe hasn’t changed since 1984, so they can’t dispense beyond schedule four drugs
Punitive and draconic drug control systematically leads to human rights violations and abuse
A humanitarian intervention is needed to reform a punitive system that does not produce the desired results
Two former addicts share their stories
The World Health Organisation recommended opioid substitution drug treatment but because of the cost this therapy is not offered in the public health service
It’s high time we listened to former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe’s advice on the legalisation of all recreational drugs
Drug trials to test a new HIV prevention method was trialled in South Africa but now the country won’t be able to afford to buy it for the people who need it most. Here’s how to change this.
The low-grade form of heroin continues to strip the youth of their future and the young women living in a drug house in Ekurhuleni say the police do not take them seriously
The police and criminal justice system continue with a punitive approach to fight illegal drug trade, targeting poor black users in particular
With 2.2 million inhabitants, Medellin is today the city with the highest drug consumption – 15.5% – in Colombia
After more than a decade of violent repression and undemocratic rule that emerged after the 2009 ouster of Manuel Zelaya, a new leader takes the reins of the Central American nation
Two months ago Lee Jae-yong was released early from a two and a half year prison term for bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with a corruption scandal
Nathaniel Julies’ murder accused Caylene Whiteboy was a junior reservist who graduated from college less than a year before the incident
Research finds women and girls act as recruits, drug dealers and armed gangsters in the ‘deeply ingrained’ gang culture in the Western Cape
Risk of next pandemic greater than ever, scientists say, but world can act
People living with HIV in Sierra Leone who use drugs are facing grim challenges during the pandemic
Punitive measures simply drive drug use underground. A more effective way is to adopt harm reduction interventions
While the restriction of movement curtailed the health services for people who use drugs in some parts of the world, it propelled other countries into finding innovative ways to continue services, a new report reveals
Deputy Social Development Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu tells the UN that the war on drugs has failed and is suggesting other options to tackle addiction
In two recent documentaries, we finally get up close to the complicated sadness of Argentina’s original football deity
NGOs say the lockdown has detrimental effects on people living with substance dependence, as they try to get their fix amid heavy restriction of movement
The public works department told Parliament that there were ongoing efforts to increase safety and patrols at the villages, which are fortified by fences and monitored by cameras and access-controlled booms
The Cape’s notorious hoodlum was buried in reverence while an innocent child was shot during a gang chase
We need to reinvent the system so we can address the reasons for abuse, rather than punishing individuals
Scotland’s biggest city, is the epicentre of a substance abuse crisis, which saw an unprecedented 1187 drug-related deaths last year
Learners turn to anti-anxiety medication to manage stress but punishment remains the state’s primary intervention
Politicians find quick fix ‘solutions’ in a bid to appease citizens who accept false information
Contradictory signals have fuelled debate on an issue that has huge resonance in a fast-ageing country where the Church still exerts strong influence