Heroin

/ 1 November 2022

Drug abuse ‘out of hand’ in South Africa, needs radical policy shift

The World Health Organisation recommended opioid substitution drug treatment but because of the cost this therapy is not offered in the public health service

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By Chris Bateman

National

/ 5 July 2022

When you kiss nyaope, you marry it

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

By Nation Nyoka

National

/ 6 June 2022

South Africa’s longstanding drug abuse problem linked to unemployment

The police and criminal justice system continue with a punitive approach to fight illegal drug trade, targeting poor black users in particular

This content is restricted to subscribers only.

Join the M&G Community

Our commitment at the Mail & Guardian is to ensure every reader enjoys the finest experience. Join the M&G community and support us in delivering in-depth news to you consistently.

Subscription enables:

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– access to all premium articles & features
– a digital version of the weekly newspaper
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By Eunice Masson

Top Six

/ 13 November 2021

Afghanistan’s poppy fields bloom

It is not clear yet whether the Taliban government will clamp down on the illicit trade

By Eunice Masson

Health

/ 3 October 2020

The case for decriminalising personal drug use

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

By Lester Kiewit

Article

/ 16 April 2020

Streetlife over safety in shelters

In eThekwini a successful scheme is helping homeless people, but some say the lack of drugs to feed their addictions means it is better to stay away

By Paddy Harper

Article

/ 10 November 2019

US-China fentanyl case just ‘the tip of the iceberg’

Here is a look at the opioid crisis and the tensions it has caused between China and the United States

By Laurent Thomet

Article

/ 28 August 2019

Prescription drug poses new threat to youths

Learners turn to anti-anxiety medication to manage stress but punishment remains the state’s primary intervention

By Mark Hunter

Article

/ 16 August 2019

Slice of life: ‘Cannabis calm saved me’

Today, I’m a weed activist. I’ve seen the injustice of really, really good people getting fucked by really bad laws

By Jacques Coetzee 1

Videos

/ 23 April 2019

Heroin withdrawals: Could this drug be the answer?

Programmes letting people swap illegal highs for medications are popping up all over the country. Here’s how they work.

By Dylan Bush

Article

/ 1 March 2019

Southern Africa’s missing drug users: We can’t treat what we don’t count

No one really knows how many people inject drugs in east and southern Africa and that’s a bigger problem than you think.

By Catherine Sozi

Videos

/ 18 February 2019

[WATCH] Busted: Three myths about drug addiction

If you think shutting down needle exchange programmes will keep your city free of contaminated needles, think again.

By Joan Van Dyk and Dylan Bush

Article

/ 18 January 2019

Safe spaces increase the chances of recovery

Being an addict on the street is hard, the two men say. But trying to break the habit is the hardest

By Lester Kiewit

Videos

/ 14 September 2018

Watch this man’s amazing transformation after he kicked heroin with the help of this

When people with diabetes inject insulin, we don’t see that as an addiction. So why is opioid substitution therapy considered one?

By Dylan Bush

Article

/ 18 June 2018

Saved: How drug users gained the power to reverse overdoses

Find out how drug users banded together to use a simple injection to save thousands of lives.

By Bhekisisa Team

Videos

/ 3 December 2017

Chasing the dragon, stalking a virus: Life, heroin and Tshwane’s needle exchange

This programme is saving heroin users on the streets of Tshwane, one clean needle at a time.

By Dylan Bush

Article

/ 30 May 2017

New Gauteng programme allows drug users to swap illegal highs for safer alternatives

The Tshwane initiative could help reduce drug use, drug-related crime and new HIV infections.

By Nelisiwe Msomi

Videos

/ 12 March 2017

Inside ‘bluetoothing’s’ fake high

Did you know that ‘bluetoothing’ puts you at risk of contracting multiple bloodborne diseases and it doesn’t even get you high?

By Nelisiwe Msomi and Dylan Bush

Videos

/ 14 February 2017

‘Bluetoothing’: Is this drug fad really happening in South Africa?

Pictures of drug users injecting themselves with the blood of others have gone viral in SA.

By Dylan Bush

Article

/ 13 April 2016

‘No home, no money, no medicine – but who cares? I don’t exist’

Introduce harm-reduction and HIV programmes – especially for heroin users – before it’s too late.

By Amy Green and Bhekisisa Team

No image available

Article

/ 3 July 2014

On the road with heroin smugglers

After meeting a Tanzanian stowaway, Sean Christie gets caught up in a hair-raising heroin run from Dar es Salaam to Cape Town.

By Sean Christie

Article

/ 6 June 2014

We need to talk about caving in to nyaope

Ivory Park’s Operation Thiba Nyaope provides support for addicts and their affected families.

By Ina Skosana

No image available

Article

/ 8 January 2013

Pain of getting hooked on ‘hillbilly heroin’ crushes developed world

It began with doctors trying to help their patients but has turned into an epidemic of addiction. Ed Pilkington reports.

By Ed Pilkington

No image available

Article

/ 15 December 2011

UN: Opium growth increasing in Myanmar, Laos

Opium cultivation is back on the rise in Myanmar and Laos, with impoverished farmers lured by higher prices, according to a United Nations report.

By Staff Reporter

Article

/ 25 April 2011

Ten years into war, Afghan farmers still hooked on poppies

Nearly a decade into the war in Afghanistan, opium poppies are still the major crop for many farmers and a big source of income for the Taliban.

By Aymeric Vincenot

Article

/ 31 January 2011

Hidden addiction in Zanzibar

The secret serpent of heroin lurks in the undergrowth of this tropical tourist spot.

By Kristin Palitza

No image available

Article

/ 16 June 2009

Help us or we’ll grow opium, say Afghan villagers

Abdul Wadud (50) walked for two hours across Afghanistan’s remote northern mountains to hear a police commander give yet more promises of aid.

By Jonathon Burch

No image available

Article

/ 28 October 2008

Afghanistan jails SA man for 16 years over heroin

An Afghan court sentenced a South African man to 16 years in prison for trying to board a plane at Kabul’s international airport with a bag of heroin.

By Staff Reporter

No image available

Article

/ 11 August 2008

SA woman nabbed with 2kg of heroin in Australia

A South African woman has been charged with smuggling almost two kilogrammes of heroin into Australia in her suitcase.

By Staff Reporter

No image available

Article

/ 28 February 2002

Heroin injection

The UN International Narcotics Control Board says that the number of people injecting heroin in SA has risen by 40% over the past three years.

By Staff Reporter

Drug abuse ‘out of hand’ in South Africa, needs radical policy shift

Join the M&G Community

When you kiss nyaope, you marry it

South Africa’s longstanding drug abuse problem linked to unemployment

Join the M&G Community

Afghanistan’s poppy fields bloom

The case for decriminalising personal drug use

Streetlife over safety in shelters

US-China fentanyl case just ‘the tip of the iceberg’

Prescription drug poses new threat to youths

Slice of life: ‘Cannabis calm saved me’

Heroin withdrawals: Could this drug be the answer?

Southern Africa’s missing drug users: We can’t treat what we don’t count

[WATCH] Busted: Three myths about drug addiction

Safe spaces increase the chances of recovery

Watch this man’s amazing transformation after he kicked heroin with the help of this

Saved: How drug users gained the power to reverse overdoses

Chasing the dragon, stalking a virus: Life, heroin and Tshwane’s needle exchange

New Gauteng programme allows drug users to swap illegal highs for safer alternatives

Inside ‘bluetoothing’s’ fake high

‘Bluetoothing’: Is this drug fad really happening in South Africa?

‘No home, no money, no medicine – but who cares? I don’t exist’

On the road with heroin smugglers

We need to talk about caving in to nyaope

Pain of getting hooked on ‘hillbilly heroin’ crushes developed world

UN: Opium growth increasing in Myanmar, Laos

Ten years into war, Afghan farmers still hooked on poppies

Hidden addiction in Zanzibar

Help us or we’ll grow opium, say Afghan villagers

Afghanistan jails SA man for 16 years over heroin

SA woman nabbed with 2kg of heroin in Australia

Heroin injection

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